I Am Here For You
by Fire Inu Princess
Summary: Inko just broke up with her long term boyfriend Hisashi who had for the most part controlled every aspect of her life. Now, she is trying to move on yet one night at a bar, she is saved by her ex by Toshinori Yagi. Now, besides her ex stalking her, she has to deal with the fact that she has fallen in love with two completely different men. Toshinori, and All Might.
1. First Meeting

Inko sighed softly as she sat at the bar with her friends. It had been a long day at work and if she were honest? Work was the only thing that kept her mind busy after everything that had happened. Really, she just wanted to stay at home and just eat away at some ice cream and watch some sappy movies though her best friend Mitsuki thought that it was best for Inko to get out of the house.

So, here she was. Her long green hair with two locks pulled back into a bun. Her naturally pale skin, lacking any kind of make-up. If she was honest about that well, make-up was always something that irritated her skin and it was hard to find the kind that wouldn't bother her. Looking at her reflection, she saw that her eyes, normally a bright green that shined with life had happiness had dulled a few months ago. Her happiness having faded away thanks to him.

Taking a deep breath, she looked down at the short black dress that she had slipped on along with a short sleeved black jacket. The jacket wasn't made for warmth but fashion as it only would cover her breasts if she buttoned it.

The sound of a 'click' was heard as her black strapped heels hit the bar stool, though she wasn't really in a good mood anyway. "Inko, you need to cheer up!" Mitsuki said after finally getting them beers.

Turning her head to her left, she saw a woman with long spikey ash blonde hair. Bright red eyes lined in black mascara and wore a simple white and black top with ruffled sleeves and tight pants and matching black flats. If Inko was honest though? She was a little jealous of her friend, her friend was beautiful and could have any man that she would ever want in her life. Inko herself though? She felt like she couldn't have anyone, not after… _he_ had done all he could to ruin her life.

"Inko, you need to smile I hate seeing you like this. What happened to the happy, bubbly and cheerful Inko that I knew as a kid?" Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

"Right now? I don't really know. I did come out though didn't I?" Inko said with a small smile.

"You did, and I'm proud of you for doing something other than going home after closing up the café." Mitsuki said with a small smile. The young woman sighed softly as she looked down at her bottle of beer. Why did things have to be so complicated? It hurt, her heart hurt and her soul felt rather heavy from all of the overwhelming emotions that still swirled up within her. Yet, she knew that this was only the first step to her recovery. To moving on.

Inhaling deeply, the young woman looked over at her friend as she said "Are you sure that you aren't also just doing this because of how your boyfriend set me up with his best friend?"

Mitsuki frowned before letting out a sigh. "I do regret it, I won't lie to you. Hell, if I ever see that bastard again I'll rip him a new one for what he did to you!" Inko smiled gently at that, when in doubt go for her friend. Mitsuki was always like that, protecting those who are dear to her, though Inko had known that Mitsuki protected her like an older sister would with her younger sister.

Even though they were only a few months apart.

Taking a deep breath, the young woman drank at her beer as she tried to think on what she could do with her life. Honestly, she loved her job, but her life had been so closed off since she was with _him_ of all people. Letting out a sigh, Inko placed her cheek on her palm as she tried to think about what she could or should do. Trying to get her life back on track would be a bit difficult but, at least she had her friend back in her life now after everything that had happened.

Turning her gaze back to Mitsuki, she asked "So, what do you think we should do? You know, to catch up after everything that had happened?" Mitsuki just grinned brightly, happy to see that her friend was trying to move on with her life. For that, Inko felt happy, seeing that her friend's concern over her had at least, lessened for the most part. Though she couldn't be sure how to really move on per say but, she'd do it regardless of the results. She had to move on with her life even if it meant being alone.

After all, who could she love when she had wasted so much time with her ex-boyfriend for five years? It was terrible, he used her, abused her, and cheated on her. The life that they had wasn't a life, it felt like she was imprisoned in her own home when she wasn't at work.

"I'm gonna try to move on Mitsuki." Inko said with a small smile, this time it was a genuine one.

"Thatta girl!" Mitsuki said with a smile on her face. Honestly, she would swear that her friend's smile would blind people though not as much as that new hero that came around. What was his name again? Hm, she couldn't really remember, maybe it'll come to her when she sees him. It would be hard not to remember his face after all, he just had one of those faces that you couldn't help but remember the moment you see it.

"Alright, first up let's find you a new man!" Mitsuki said with a giggle.

"Mitsuki, I'm not ready for a new man." Inko said with a sigh.

Laughter reached her ears, looking up as she saw her friend having a hand over her mouth to help stifle her giggles though failing to do so. "Come on Inko, you just need more friends is all. After everything that's happened I figured you could use a friend and maybe even a 'special' friend."

"Maybe some other time Mitsuki." Inko said with a soft sigh.

"Okay, well I'll be right back. I just have to make a trip to the ladies room. So watch my beer for me please?" Inko nodded her head before sipping at her beer once again. Maybe Mitsuki was right, she did need more friends but at the same time, she needed to take her time as well. Inhaling deeply, she tried to think on what she could or should do right now. It was always hard for her to find friends since they thought of her as a crybaby thanks to the 'Midoriya's Tears' a family trait that had many people believe that their tears were part of their quirk.

"Inko!" shouted a male's voice, causing Inko to wince.

Turning her head, she saw a tall man walking toward her with a big smile on his face. Though if she was honest, she had hoped to never see him ever again. "Hisashi." Inko all but snarled at the man. How the hell did he find out that she was here in the first place? Narrowing her eyes, she said "Why are you here Hisashi? If I remember right, I told you that I didn't want to see you again."

"I know you didn't mean it Inko. I know you still love me deep down." Hisashi said with a smile on his face. Inko just narrowed her eyes. Sure, when she started to date him all those years ago she had seen Hisashi as a very handsome man. His black hair wasn't long no, but it wasn't short. His black eyes could look into people's souls as if searching for a way to learn what he can about you. He wore a simple suit, nothing really all that special about it but she knew now? She just saw a man with a soul so vile that it made her sick.

"Really? You wasted years of my life being with you. You shoved people out of my life, had me choose you over everyone I had ever known and loved just so you could control me!" Inko said, narrowing her eyes as she felt all of her bottled up anger starting to bubble up to the surface once again. God she hated this man, wanted to just punch him but knew that she could do that.

Hisashi's grin never left his face as he walked closer to Inko and ran his fingers down her cheek. She winced and tried to turn her head away from him though he seemed determined to have his hand on her face. Leaning closer, the man smirked sinisterly as he whispered "You know that I'm the best thing you'll ever get Inko. I'm the only one that knows you properly, I know your happy moments and your saddest ones. I can provide for you when no one else can."

"No! You had me shove my friends out of my life, you took control over my life as well. Having calling me every moment of the day from the moment I start work until I get home. You never let me leave the house otherwise and had me basically serve you! Not to mention you cheated on me!"

"It was merely a moment of weakness." Hisashi whispered softly, his smirk never leaving his face.

"Moment of weakness? I found so many underwear on you and none of them were even the same kind! Not to mention lipstick on your collar. I know you've been with multiple women, it's why I broke up with you! I'm tired of it Hisashi, we're through!" Inko reached out and slapped the man across the face. His hand removed from her cheek as he held onto his stinging flesh.

All playfulness had vanished in that moment. His eyes narrowed into slits as he growled. Roughly grabbing her wrist as he glared own at her. "Listen here Inko, I'm tired of trying to play 'Mr. Nice Guy' when you won't even listen to me!"

"I refuse to listen to you!" Inko said, struggling to get her wrist go. Yet, the man had a firm hold on her wrist, trying to find a way to break free. Hell, she'd be happy to see if she could find Mitsuki though her friend still hadn't returned as of yet. He was hurting her, and it made her wonder if he would break her wrist. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!" Inko said, struggling more than before.

"I don't think so. You and me, we're leaving this bar and I'll convince you to take me back Inko. I won't allow you to leave me." Hisashi said with a crazed grin on his face. Inko felt the blood drain away from her face in that moment. Oh god, couldn't someone save her?! Struggling all the more, she tried to break free, clawing at the man, kicking at him in the hopes to gain her freedom. "Now Inko, no need to be stubborn, you just need to learn to love me again even if I have to use force."

Her eyes widened all the more as she tried to break free once again. More desperate than ever before. "Let go of me! Someone help me!" Inko shouted.

In that moment, in a blink of an eye Inko heard Hisashi gasp out in pain, Inko looked up and stared with wide eyes. There, behind her ex was a tall man with blonde hair. Two locks framing his face yet the locks were long, passing his shoulders and ending just below his chest. Yet, his hair stuck out behind him, short compared to the rest of his hair. In a way, it made her think of a sun flower.

His eyes, there were the one other thing that stuck out to her. They were a bright and electric blue that made her wonder how anyone could have such a beautiful eye colour. He wore a simple white t-shirt with long green cargo pants and a belt. Though now that she got a good look at his clothes she saw that they were still pretty loose on him though not overly so, he had a muscular build, well an average muscular build for someone his size.

"Now, now, is that anyway to treat a lady?" said the mystery blonde as he grabbed Hisashi's arm and pinned it behind his back, slamming him to the counter. Hisashi glared at the blonde and opened his mouth, getting ready to breathe fire. Right, she forgot about his fire breathing quirk.

"Careful!" Inko said, reaching her hand out to help the blonde though he turned his gaze to her, eyes softening at her for a moment as if telling her that everything would be alright.

He turned his gaze back to her ex, saying "Now, you have two choices. Either you leave or, I'll call the cops for the misuse of this woman, and of your quirk in a public location." Hisashi looked like he would rather do anything other than to take Inko away from this place, yet he just snarled a little before letting out a groan and told the mystery blonde that he'll leave in peace. "Wise choice." The Mystery Man said before letting him go and watched as Hisashi left.

Inko sighed softly, holding her face in her hands as she trembled slightly.

"Hey, you okay miss?" came the man's voice, she noticed that he was calm and soothing as he spoke to her. Most likely trying to help her calm down from what had happened. Looking up at him, she saw that he had knelt down to be more eye level with her. God he was really tall, he had to crouch a bit for that. "Do you need me to call you a cab?"

Inko just seemed to stare and his eyes seemed a little nervous. His concern having faded and it made her wonder if he thought that she was upset with him or refused to speak to him because he was a man. "I'm okay… I… I'm here with a friend."

"Where is your friend?" asked the man with a tilt of his head.

"Bathroom."

"I see, um… if you do not mind me asking, who was that man?" asked the man.

"He's my ex. I broke up with him months ago, he was trying to get me to go back with him even though… he… he um…"

"You don't have to tell me if it makes you that uncomfortable, I understand I'm a stranger. Here." He stood back up and pulled out his wallet and pulled out a few bills before setting it on the counter. "Her drinks are on me tonight."

"Wait, let me thank you!" Inko said, causing the man to stare at her in confusion. "Please, you chased him away and… I'd rather not be alone while I'm waiting for my friend to come back." He seemed to be thinking about it, she could see a few emotions flitter around in his eyes as he tried to decide on the proper course of action.

Inko wondered if he would just leave because she was nothing but a short woman who seemed to have some kind of ex-boyfriend who wouldn't accept that they were over. Soon, his radiant smile broke out on his face causing Inko to blink her wide eyes in shock. "Sure, I'd love to join you." He sat down next to her, Inko had to crane her head up a bit to look at him. How was he so tall?

"So, what brings you out here?" asked Inko.

"Oh, just figured I'd go out for a drink. It's my day off today so I figured that a nice night out would be nice. Didn't think I'd rescue a woman in the process." Chuckled the man as he held out his hand. "I'm sorry I hadn't properly introduced myself, I'm Yagi Toshinori."

"Hello Yagi-san, I'm Midoriya Inko it's nice to meet you." Inko said with a small smile on her face.

"Pleasure is all mine Midoriya-san." Yagi said with a chuckle.

Inko couldn't help but smile, there was something about him that made her want to smile. It just seemed that he had this air about him that made people want to be happy and feel joy. "So, Midoriya-san, if I may ask what brings you out here?" asked Yagi.

Inko looked away for a moment as she tried to think on what she could say. Sure, she wasn't really going to open up to Yagi yet since they had just met but, she also felt a strange connection to him. "I haven't really gotten out of my home in a long while. I just broke up with Hisashi months ago and got myself a new place so I could get away. I lost all my friends when I started dating him and Mitsuki is the only one that took me back as a friend." Letting out a soft sigh, she added "I figured that this was the best choice, trying to go out again and try to have a life and well… heal. Is that silly?"

"No, it isn't silly at all." He said gently. Inko looked up with wide eyes. "You went through a horrible experience. The man made your life a living hell from what I have seen, how I heard you call for help and the look of absolute fear on your face." Inko could only stare at the man, how long had he seen everything before stepping in? "I knew you needed help from how I saw the way he was treating you and your expressions. You want to heal, you need time to heal from how long were you with him?"

"About five years."

"Spending that much time with someone, more so someone who was abusive to you it would make you feel scared, unsafe and vulnerable. You will need to heal at your own pace and no one can force you to get over something like that. That is something that you have to do on your own but, at the same time having people dear to you to help you along the way. Giving support to help along with the healing process." Yagi said, a small smile on his face as he gazed down at her.

Only to stare with wide eyes and panic starting to surge through him. "Uh I'm sorry! I didn't mean to make you cry!" he said, waving his hands around in panic. Inko could only giggle softly at him as she wiped at her tears. "What?"

"Sorry, I'm a crier." Inko said with a soft giggle as she tried to muffle it a little only to fail.

"It's not funny." Yagi said with a small pout, which only seemed to make her laugh louder. Though when she looked back up at him she saw that he was smiling gently at her. Inko blinked a little in confusion as she asked what was wrong, he just shook his head. "It's nothing, don't worry about it. I'm just happy to see you smile and laugh."

"That's because of your words Yagi-san." Inko said with a smile on her face.

"Maybe, but I think you just needed to hear some encouragement. Even if it's from a total stranger." He said with a chuckle.

"But, maybe I needed to hear it as well."

"Maybe. I'm happy to help you, even if it's small."

"Inko I'm back-who the hell are you?!" Mitsuki said as she found Yagi and Inko sitting next to each other and glared at the blonde haired man.

"Mitsuki!" Inko said as she jumped up and made her way over to her friend as she started to explain everything that had happened since she was gone. Of course during the explaining, the ash blonde had cursed a few times under her breath and told Inko that she'd need some kind of restraining order on Hisashi. Though Inko waved it off thinking that Yagi had scared the man off.

"So, you saved her huh?" Mitsuki said with a narrow of her red eyes.

"Yes."

Mitsuki just stared at him, her eyes calm yet calculating as she seemed to be searching for answers. Inko frowned a little wondering why she was staring at him like that though soon, it broke as Mitsuki just seemed to grin. "I like him. Inko give him your number!"

"What?!" Both Inko and Yagi all but shouted.

"Oh come on, he saved you from your ex. He sat with you and just talked to you plus…" Mitsuki leaned close to Inko so only she could hear her. "Your eyes look a little livelier now." Inko blinked at that part. She hadn't noticed that her eyes had changed from that. "So, what's the harm, plus if he can stop Hisashi, I'm sure he can be your go to guy!"

"I don't know…" Inko mumbled.

"Would it make you feel safer Midoriya-san?" asked Yagi, causing her to look up at him in shock. He looked away from her, it almost seemed like he was a little embarrassed about this though he went on. "If you feel like you're being followed by him or anything just… call me? I can help you out or if you just need someone to talk too I mean."

Inko blinked a little at that before giving him a small smile. "Sure." Maybe tonight wasn't so bad after all, for it seemed that she made a new friend tonight.


	2. The Emerald Café

Toshinori couldn't help but lay in his bed after the bar. His arms folded behind his head as he gazed up at his ceiling. Honestly, when he had gone out for drinks last night he hadn't expected to save someone even if it was just from some crazy ex-boyfriend. The woman was pretty, he couldn't deny that but, there was something else about her that confused him. Drew him to want to help her. It wasn't her appearance so to speak, but there was something that drew him in.

It was her eyes that drew him in.

He had seen her eyes the moment she had walked in, though at the time he hadn't known that she came in with a friend. Had he been that distracted by her eyes that he hadn't noticed anything else? Maybe. But, it was how lifeless her eyes had looked was what drew him in. Drew him in to want to save her, from herself.

Eyes that were green, so green but they lacked any shine to them. At least, no shine of life that it had him rather concerned.

Shaking his head, blonde locks flying into and out of his face from the motion. Toshinori couldn't help but wonder what he could do to help her. Honestly, he wanted to help her, to get her life back on track so to speak. Sure, he hadn't known what it was that had happened to make her eyes look like that. But he wanted to be the one to help her.

If he hadn't interfered in that moment, hadn't stopped her ex from taking her somewhere would she have gone and… dare he say it? Dare he say that if he hadn't interfered that she would have taken her own life? Moving his hand from behind his head, the blonde haired man covered his face as he let out a loud groan.

No, it was good that he had stopped that man. The blood having drained from her face had told him everything without words.

She had been in an abusive relationship with that man. Now, he was out of her life but it would take everything to help her to overcome the hardships that she had gone through. Five years of abuse was a difficult thing to go through for anyone. She would have to be a strong woman to have lasted that long without kind of scars… _'Unless they were hidden from anyone's eyes but her own.'_ he thought to himself.

Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori wondered if he could help her. He wanted to, wanted to help her with everything and anything that he could do but, what could he do for someone who was in a relationship like that? The only thing he could do was talk to her though, now that he thought about it her eyes, by the end of the night had some kind of shine in them. Not from the tears that she had shed beforehand, (making him panic in the process) but… with life.

Had just talking to her bright some kind of life to her? Had she just felt happier just by talking to him of all people? A total stranger of all people? Odd.

Turning over to his nightstand, he saw his cell phone just lying there and frowned a little. Picking it up he went through his contacts and scrolled down until he had seen the new contact that was so very recently added. _Midoriya Inko._ Now that he noticed it, he didn't have many contacts that were female, even then all of his contacts were heroes, not civilians.

It was hard for him to have a normal life outside of hero work. If there was one thing that he knew about being a hero, it was that he wouldn't have much of a time outside of hero work to have what would be considered a 'normal' life. But, maybe spending time with Midoriya-san would be his consideration of 'normal' life.

He couldn't help but smile fondly at the thought.

If he was honest with himself, he couldn't help but wonder what Midoriya-san was doing. Was she alright after they parted ways last night? He was sure that her friend Mitsuki would make sure that her friend was home safe. Maybe that was the hero in him speaking but he couldn't help but be a little concern.

From what little they spoke of last night, he hadn't wanted to intrude on her life with her ex but, he already had an idea as to what had happened between the two besides what she had spoken about. "She had to have been abused." He had figured that out just from her body language. The way she slapped him, the way her skin grew pale from whatever he had spoken. And of course, then there were her words that had made her cry. "I swear water is her quirk." Toshinori mumbled under his breath but smiled a little.

"Though, seeing her smile was nice. Definitely worth my own little panic." Toshinori said with a small chuckle. Though when her friend suggested that they swap numbers well, Toshinori wouldn't lie if he hadn't felt his face go red at the thought. Though he also had to remind himself that it was for Midoriya-san's safety. That if she ever just needed someone to talk too that he would be willing to listen no matter the time of day or even if he's working. (Thank Nana for her teaching him how to multitask)

Letting out a soft sigh, the young man reached over and grabbed his cell phone once again to see the time. Only to groan louder. It seems like he hadn't even gone to bed at all as it was now nine in the morning. How could he go to bed? His mind was swimming with so many thoughts about his night out that he hadn't even known that time flew over his head and now he was starting to feel the exhaustion hitting him.

"I need coffee…" Mumbled the blonde before he dragged himself out of bed. Yawning against the back of his hand, Toshinori made his way over to his kitchen to look for his coffee container. Only to find that he had no coffee. "Damn." He mumbled in English before looking for his tea. When in doubt look for tea. Only to curse again when he saw that he hadn't had any of that either.

Looking out the window, Toshinori was thankful that his shift didn't start until later on this afternoon because they knew he had gone out. But sadly, he hadn't even gone to sleep for him to even have a hangover. Not like he could anyway, his quirk made it near impossible for him to be hung over though he also hadn't drunk much when he started to talk to Midoriya-san.

Hm, now that he thought about it Shouta had mentioned had mentioned about a café that made some good coffee, tea and treats. He liked going there because they even made cat shaped treats. "Him and cats, I'll never understand how someone can love cat shaped treats." Toshinori shrugged a little though who was he to talk? Not like he had any pets, wouldn't have time for a pet in the first place. "Now, what was the name of that café again?" Going through his cell, he looked through some old texts and blinked.

 _The Emerald Café._

* * *

Looking at his phone, looking over his GPS for the directions for this café. From what he had been told, the café had been around for a couple years now. How it was that Toshinori never knew about this place he had no idea. It had no negative reviews and yet all the reviews had a few comments about the 'beautiful green haired owner'. It had him puzzled about it but just shrugged his shoulders. Only to groan when his wet bangs stuck to his cheeks.

Moving his bangs from his cheeks, Toshinori wanted to curse outright about his bangs, in a way he wanted to cut his hair but at the same time he didn't. Maybe he should just shower before he goes to bed instead of after he wakes up then his hair would already be dry and not deal with the problems of his hair sticking to him while still wet.

Frowning a little, he looked at his contacts icon again and wanted to send a text to Midoriya-san. Should he do it? Should he text her to see how she's doing today? He was still concerned and worried about her but at the same time he didn't want to seem clingy? Like he was trying to worm his way into her life when they had only known each other for if anything, a few hours.

Though, her friend's words echoed in his ears.

 _"I think you're good for Inko. She needs someone sturdy in her life if I can't be there for her. I want you to help her when I can't because, well, unlike me you were able to bring life back to her eyes and I think you are the person to heal her."_

What did that mean in the first place? How can he be the person to heal her when she had to have other people in her life that could heal her? Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori rubbed the back of his neck as he tried to think on what he could do. Or what he should say to her next time he saw her. A frown marred his face as he thought about it. When would he even see her again anyway?

He didn't know what he could even say to her. Honestly, when it came to speaking to women he was terrible. Last night, he won't lie was different. He at least had some booze in his system so that helped to loosen him up enough to speak to women but sober? Forget about it.

Looking up he saw that he had arrived at the café. It wasn't anything amazing or spectacular but, it had a homey feel to it.

The windows were large, allowing much light through them. The outside was just that of a simple brick that constructed it but he knew that once inside there were bound to be much more to it. Though the sign itself was what drew him in. The sign said 'Emerald Café' written in a bright sparkling green that in a way reminded him of something but he couldn't think of what it was. A small cup of coffee or tea was between 'Emerald' and 'Café' which made people know for sure what it was that was sold here.

Chuckling a little, the young man made his way into the building and couldn't help but stare in awe. The tables for the most part were all circles of course and only seated two. The tables were a soft green with white legs that would look like a pearl in colour. The chairs similar though the seat cushion were the same green as the tables and the frames of the chairs were white.

The floors were a hardwood though he had a feeling it wasn't really hardwood as if anyone spilled tea or coffee it would ruin the furnish.

The counter were wooden though the counter tops looked like a white marble. A couple glass cases were around to display the pastries and it had his stomach grumble. _'Right, I didn't eat breakfast yet.'_ he thought to himself as he started to walk on over to the display cases, wondering what would seem good to eat. Honestly, all the pastries looked good.

"How may I help you?" asked a familiar voice, causing Toshinori to look up only to stare in shock.

"Midoriya-san?" Toshinori said in shock.

"Yagi-san?" Midoriya-san said with shock on her face.

She had on a simple green top with a pink apron though it was lined in a light green bringing out her eyes. Her hair was pulled back in a high ponytail, most likely so her hair wouldn't fall in any of the food or, getting in her face as she worked. If he was honest with himself well, he had to admit she looked cute dressed like this.

Midoriya-san shifted a little, her hands clasp her hands together as she swayed a little, a small blush on her face. Most likely a little a little nervous over his stare. "Oh, um… Midoriya-san, I didn't know you worked here."

"I don't work here." She said, looking away being a little nervous.

"But-"

"I um… I own this café."

She owned this place? Grinning, Toshinori calmly said "Well, I haven't even ordered anything yet and I already like the homey feel this place has." Which was true, it had such a welcoming atmosphere that it made him want to come back though, seeing Midoriya-san here well, that just made things even better for him. He could see her and talk to her when she needed someone to talk too.

The green haired woman smiled up at him before saying "That's good, I was hoping that would be the case for customers. Um… what would you like today?"

Looking up at the menu, Toshinori wasn't really sure what he should get. It all just looked so good. "What would you suggest Midoriya-san?" asked Toshinori.

"Honestly I like jasmine tea with daifuku." Midoriya-san said with a smile on her face. God, her smile could light up the entire room. He found it rather endearing really.

"I'll try that." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

"Alright, coming right up!" She said with a smile. Toshinori watched as she walked off and grabbed the daifuku, it was small and could easily fit in the palm of Midoriya-san's hand. It was green though he saw that she was grabbing him two of them. Most likely because they were small but he couldn't help but chuckle a little at that.

After that, he saw her lifting her hand and a small aura of pink energy flowing around her palm and fingers as she wafted her hand closer towards her back and forth as he soon saw something float toward her. Was that her quirk? Watching as a glass jar of tea leaves as she held onto the jar and started to get to work on preparing his cup of tea.

It all seemed to have been made in a blur to Toshinori, the moment he saw Midoriya-san place his order on a tray, he was about to fish out his wallet before she held up her hand and he froze, staring at her in confusion. "Think of this as a thank you for helping me last night."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I never got a chance to say 'thank you' properly last night Yagi-san. I well, I feel like this is the best way I can thank you. Just let me know what you think of the tea and daifuku."

Toshinori blushed a little at that but nodded. It sounded fair, plus he had a feeling that no matter what he said or did, she wouldn't have accepted his cash until he allowed her to thank him. Making his way to an empty seat, Toshinori took a sip of his tea only to blink in shock. Grinning, he didn't think that tea could be this good. Don't get him wrong, he loves tea but this was amazing! Blinking at the daifuku, Toshinori tilted his head a little as he nibbled on it. Wow, the anko filling was amazing. So sweet but not overly sweet.

A happy smile grew on his face as he let out a sigh of content. How was it that someone could be so talented with food and it not being part of their quirk? It just made no sense but at the same time, he let out a sigh of content.

She was talented, that was for sure. No wonder Shouta loved coming here besides the treats. "So, how do you like it Yagi-san?" asked Midoriya-san as she had started to clean up the tables. He looked at her, even sitting he was still a little taller than her. Why did she look so nervous though? Was his input that important to her or, was it because he was someone she knew and had some kind of trust in to give a real input?

Giving her a soft gentle smile, Toshinori honestly answered her. "I love it. I may have to have my morning tea or coffee here every day." The look on her face? It was priceless. She looked so happy, her eyes almost seemed to sparkle and it made him happy to see her so happy. It brought joy to his heart, he almost wanted to reach out to her and hold her hand though kept those thoughts and desires to himself. "I'm honest Midoriya-san, I really did enjoy it. Makes me wonder if you cater for events."

"Oh, I do. Though not a lot of people need me to cater for them so I don't get offers like that very often." Midoriya-san said with a soft smile on her face.

Hm, not enough cater offers eh? That is a shame that she doesn't get offers like that. Maybe he could do something for her, just to help her out. Yeah, that could be something though he also isn't sure if that would be enough. Oh…

"Midoriya-san, would you like to sit with me? Unless you don't have a break yet." Toshinori asked with a tilt of his head.

"I'd love to join you. I was about to go on break anyway." She said with a smile on her face. God, she was so different compared to the sad woman he met last night. "Let me just go put my apron back and I'll be right back." She said with a smile before walking off.

Toshinori didn't really expect to talk to her again so soon. But, he didn't mind. He liked talking to her, having such wonderful conversations last night with her though mostly random things. That was most likely due to her being drunk and he for the most part was sober. Though he had felt something there though mostly just shoved it off as nothing more than the booze. After all, how can anyone feel anything for someone they had just met? There was no such thing as feeling a great connection to someone you just met. It was just not possible.

Maybe now though, they can have a nice conversation. Simple chat between normal people on such a nice day out before he would have to go to his shift. Yeah, that sounded like a good plan to go by. Wait, did that make him sound like a creep? Talking to a woman who had barely twenty-four hours ago been in a bar and who looked like she would have killed herself and, not to mention, just got attacked by her ex in said bar? Was he taking advantage of a moment of weakness? No, that can't be right.

He only had her best interests at heart here.

Hurting her would be the last thing that he'd ever want. No, all he wants is for her to know that she is safe, can be happy again. To know that no matter what her ex does, which he highly doubted he would anymore, that she can live a normal life again.

"I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long." Midoriya-san said with a smile as she sat down in front of him.

"Nah, you only did what? Take off your apron?" Toshinori said with a chuckle before he leaned back in his seat. "So, what would you like to talk about?" asked Toshinori.

"Well, since you know what I do for work, what do you do?" asked Midoriya-san.

"Oh, um…" What could he say? Not like he could tell her that he was a hero but he didn't want to lie either. Oh boy, this was going to bother him though maybe he could just tell her half of the truth? "I work at a hero agency." Well, wasn't a lie but still wasn't the full truth at the very least.

"Wow, I bet that has to be fun! To be surrounded by heroes all day long!" Seeing her so enthused, it was nice but he felt like it was merely a cover to hide her own pain. Work must be a cover for her own pain. Closing his eyes for a moment, he was about to say something until he saw the blood drain from her face. Was that guy here? Just as he was about to turn his head to look, he felt a soft yet trembling hand over his. "Please don't look." Doing as was asked of him, he turned his gaze back up at her as he saw the worry clear in her eyes.

"Midoriya-san, is everything okay? Is he here?"

The look in her eyes, well that told him all. It seemed that her eyes was the only thing that could easily express what was going on in her heart. Placing his free hand over hers, he calmly whispered "Just relax alright? I won't let him get you. You'll always be safe with me, I promise you that." Midoriya looked up at him with slightly teary eyes. Though, unlike last night, these were tears of fear and it had him worried for her mental state seeing him at her place of work.

"How can you promise me that?" asked Midoriya-san.

"Because if there is one thing that I always do, is that I keep my promises. I will protect you from him. I don't care what it takes, or what I have to do but I will keep you safe." Toshinori vowed to her, his eyes almost seeming to glow. He was angry that her ex was causing her distress at her place of work. The only thing that kept him front pinning him down like last night was the fact that he hadn't grabbed at Midoriya-san again.

Plus, there was no way that he'd try something like that this early in the day. "If you want, I can come back after work to walk you home if that would make you feel safer." She looked like she wanted to think otherwise, yet so many emotions started to go through her eyes that he wondered if she was gonna have some kind of emotional whiplash.

There was fear, worry, concern, sadness and other emotions that he couldn't figure out. It made him wonder what else was going on in her mind.

"Would you please?" she asked softly, her voice still laced with fear. In fact, her body was trembling so much so that he thought she would vibrate through the chair and into the floor. Holding onto her hand still, he felt like just holding onto her would be enough to keep her from falling through the floor.

"Of course I will. Just send me a text when you're done tonight. But, if you feel like you need to leave earlier just text or call me and I will come and take you home okay?" Midoriya-san looked up at him for a moment, a small smile growing on her face though it was still far from that blinding smile that he had seen on her earlier. Though it was a start at the very least. Yet still a far cry from her being healed by her past experience. "For now Midoriya-san, just focus on me okay? We'll just keep talking, it should help you relax and have your focus off of him okay?"

"Okay."

"Now, I'm rather curious. I saw you use your quirk and is it telekinesis?" he asked with a tilt of his head.

"Yes and no. I can only move objects that are a weight that I can physically handle. If it's something too heavy for me to lift, I won't be able to use my quirk." Midoriya-san said with a soft sigh as she added "I kinda wish I could move heavier things but for now, this will do. It does help me with my job."

"That's good." He said with a chuckle before giving her a soft smile.

"What about you, do you have a quirk?"

Toshinori, who at the time had been sipping at his tea almost choked on it. Slapping his chest a bit, the young man managed to clear his air way before turning to the woman in front of him and saw that she now looked rather scared. No, afraid that she must have said something stupid or out of line. Waving his hands wildly, he calmly said "Don't worry, you did nothing wrong! I do have a quirk but it's nothing I can really explain. It's something that I can never really tell anyone about my quirk. I'm sorry."

"No, it's okay." Midoriya-san said with a small smile on her face. "I love your hair. It's so fluffy and soft, is it as soft as it looks?" She asked with a bright and cheerful smile on her face. In fact, he almost thought that her smile looked like she was in awe just by his hair alone.

"Um… would you like to feel?" asked Toshinori.

"Please?"

Leaning back in his seat, Toshinori closed his eyes as he waited for Midoriya-san to feel his hair. Honestly, he wasn't sure why he was letting her do this. Maybe to let her forget about her problems with her ex being seen. Or maybe this could be part of her healing process. So many thoughts swirled in his mind yet no true answers.

The sound of the chair scraping down on the floor was heard so he knew that she was moving over. Her foot falls could be heard even though it was soft he could still hear it. Soon, he felt fingers passing through his blonde locks. Toshinori never knew that he would find it so very soothing. He almost wanted to lean into her touch but prevented himself from doing do. God had he really lacked any kind of physical contact from another woman but he couldn't think like that!

"It is soft!" She said with a giggle, which only made Toshinori smile a little. Maybe it was worth it. After all, Midoriya-san was smiling, was laughing and giggling. Yeah, he could be happy with this for now. He'd do everything in his power to make sure that she was always smiling, and her eyes always shining with life and joy. That was his true mission, to keep Midoriya Inko smiling always.

* * *

 **I couldn't resist on this. anyway, I hope I did this chapter alright, had to rewrite a few things to make it work and I do have a few things in mind for future chapters just trying to get them in order. If anyone has ideas let me know and I'll see if it works also, Toshi will reference Inko as Midoriya-san for a few chapters and the same with Inko toward Toshi, anyway, as for the catering thing, that will come in handy later on, it is part of the plot for her second love choice XD hoping you like this.**


	3. Inko's New Friendship

A week and a half had gone by, Inko had the day off and decided to finish up her chores around her apartment. If she was honest, Inko was still scared of Hisashi coming into her apartment. Sure, she made sure that she did everything in her power to prevent him from finding her location and even changed her route home every night.

Yet, when Yagi-san walked her, she had told him that she never stuck to one route and he understood. How it was that he understood her troubles without even fully knowing what had happened to her in the first place?

Had he gone through something similar in the past or was it something else?

Shaking her head, the young woman let out a soft sigh as she made her way to her hall closet and put her cleaning supplies away. The sound of her phone going off, it made Inko flinch. God, she hated it when her phone would go off, it always made her nervous until she remembered what the ring was. "Oh, that's my work phone." Inko whispered, a sigh of relief escaping her as she made her way over to her cell. It was green in colour, much like the theme of her café. It was the only way that she could tell the difference between her work cell, and her other cell.

Answering her phone, she said "Hello, Emerald Café, Midoriya Inko speaking." Thank goodness that she was able to keep herself from answering so shakily. Or at least as shakily as she had felt right now. Though she wondered why the call had gone straight to this phone. Normally they go straight to the phone at work, unless one of the supervisors redirected it to her phone for some other reason.

 _"Midoriya-san?"_ came a strong yet booming voice. Why does she feel like she knew that voice?

"Yes?"

 _"I was wondering, would you like to cater for the upcoming Hero's Gala?"_ asked the voice, she knew that it had to be a man. It was too deep to be a woman's voice, even women with voice quirks couldn't change their voices that deeply. _"If you do you would be more than welcome to come to the festivities to make sure that everything is going okay with what you have prepared."_

Inko frowned a little in confusion. Someone wanted to hire her café for a gala? Where she'll be surrounded by nothing but heroes the whole time? That would be a dream of a life time, it was so hard for anyone to want to cater for a gala like this. Who was she to turn something like this down? It may help build up the business and plus more people will know about her café and, she may be able to get more of her bills paid off easier now! "Of course, I'd be honoured to cater."

 _"Fantastic, how would you like to go over this?"_ asked the booming voice with a chuckle. Where had she heard that voice? She knew that voice from somewhere before but just couldn't think of where she had heard it and it just pin point where it could have been.

"Over the phone is good for me, may as well since I have everything I need to fill out the order. Let me just grab my order forms. One moment."

 _"Of course Midoriya-san."_

Inko set her phone down and started to go to her work desk as she pulled open a drawer and grabbed her order form. Smiling to herself, the young woman calmly said "Alright, what would you like at the gala and when is it?"

Holding her cell to her ear, the young woman wrote down what they would need and of course how much that would be. The amount of food they would need didn't really surprise her, as she remembered that a lot of heroes tend to have quirks based off of what they ate or how much they ate which would build up on an appetite. There would be cakes, some brownies among other tasty treats. It seemed that she was only going to cater the desserts so that made things easier for her on her end. Though this was still a lot of food for her to make. She would have to have her whole staff there on that day to help with the baking.

 _"I hope this isn't too much for you Midoriya-san."_ came the voice, sounding a little concerned.

"Oh it's no trouble at all! I love baking and I find that it helps pass the time. I also have a lot of staff to help with the baking so there is no worries." Inko said, hoping to reassure whoever this man was. "Now, how will you be paying for all of this?"

 _"A hero will be there to pick it up the day of the gala. He'll pay for the food and he shall also be your escort if that is alright with you?"_

"I don't want to intrude, just being able to go is enough for me."

 _"None sense, we would also love that you are able to enjoy yourself. He's a new hero but very trustworthy. I would trust this man with my life."_

Honestly, Inko didn't want to intrude enough as it was. Wouldn't this man himself already have a date or something like that in the first place? Wouldn't going with her only be a burden to him in the end? Tightly gripping her pen, Inko felt like her world was starting to close in on her.

 _"You are nothing but a burden Inko! No one will ever want you in their life other than me! I am the only one that you'll ever need! Never forget that!"_ his words still echoed in her head, and it's been months since she heard those words. Tightly shutting her eyes, Inko started to feel like her heart was going to pound its way out of her chest. Panic started to sweep through her.

 _"Midoriya-san? Are you okay?"_

Snapping out of her trance, Inko took a deep breath as she said "I'm okay, don't worry." Taking a deep breath, hoping to calm herself down. "I don't want to bother him though, what if he had a date?"

 _"He doesn't, I had already asked him ahead of time to be sure, honestly he was going solo."_ The man said with a chuckle. Even his laugh sounded familiar to her. _"Otherwise, is there anything else you need Midoriya-san?"_

"No, everything is in order. Just have come back with this number, if you please can write it down then hand it to him so he can pay then we'll be all set." Inko said as she started to read off the number for the order. After that, the young woman hung up her phone and leaned back on her desk chair. How can she allow herself to go back to those thoughts? She had promised herself not to do that and yet, it just happened. Moving on from her experiences were hard though she knew that this was only going to get harder from here on out.

How could her life already be going so great but hectic at the same time? Sure, she could always call Yagi-san but… to talk to him about her problems all the time she felt like that was just being clingy. No, rather that she was being nothing but a burden to him. A problem that he couldn't and no longer wanted to solve.

It hurt. It hurt that she had all these problems and didn't want to involve those people anymore. Not because she didn't want them in her life, no far from that. No, more like she didn't want to put her problems on their shoulders and cause them stress.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman knew that she couldn't stay cooped up in her apartment anymore or she'd go insane. Yet, she still wanted to be in someone's company right now and didn't want to bother Yagi-san.

Pulling out her other cellphone, Inko sent a text to Mitsuki.

 _Mitsuki, would you like to go to the park for a bit?_

It wasn't long before Inko heard her phone chimed to alert her of a text. _Sure, I'll meet you in a few minutes!_ Inko smiled a little, maybe just being near her friend would be enough to calm her down. Though, she just couldn't be sure how to sort out her own feelings, everything just felt a little overwhelming but maybe just talking about work would be enough to calm her down. Maybe she'll even luck out and Mitsuki wouldn't even be aware of her troubles.

* * *

"So, how has things been with Yagi?" asked Mitsuki with a smile on her face.

Inko frowned a little when Mitsuki brought up Yagi. Mitsuki saw how Inko was searching for an answer, though the look on her face made her think that everything was okay. Yagi was a good guy and… most likely the only one that Inko hadn't been scared of since Hisashi but, why was Yagi so different? Maybe because he had saved her and hadn't even tried anything and for that she had been grateful.

Taking a deep breath, Inko rubbed her arms a bit, a nervous habit that she had developed. "He didn't try anything did he?" Mitsuki said, her red eyes narrowing into a glare as her lips pulled back in what could be considered a snarl.

"No!" Inko said, throwing her hands up in a defensive position. "He hasn't tried anything, no he's been a gentleman." Mitsuki just glared a little. "No it… well, Hisashi was at the store the other day."

"What?!"

Inko winced a little before looking away and grasped her elbow, it made Mitsuki feel like Inko's scars were bothering her. They sometimes did bother her either by weather or other things. Maybe even the mention of her ex's name. God why did it still have to bother her? It almost broke Mitsuki's heart to see her friend like this. "Mitsuki I'd rather not talk about this please?"

"Inko, you can't keep this bottled up forever." Mitsuki said softly.

"I… I can't… I just…" Inko looked like she was about to cry. Tears building up in her eyes as she looked like she would fall apart at the seams.

Mitsuki frowned a little before gently grabbing a hold of Inko's shoulders and walked with her to a nearby bench. It was mostly out of view of others so they would at least be alone so they could talk though she just hoped that her friend would open up to her about all of her troubles that had been bothering her.

Inko sniffled a little, wiping at her eyes in the hopes to removing her tears but only more appeared in the process. "Inko?" The green haired woman looked up at her friend with a sniffle. "Tell me what happened okay? If you can't tell Yagi then at least tell me okay? I'm your friend, you know you can tell me anything!"

Taking a deep shuddering breath, the young woman looked away from her friend as she tried to decide whether or not if she should tell her friend what happened. Or at the very least, what she had been going through this week alone. "Hisashi came into the shop while I was on break, I was talking to Yagi-san and well, I guess Yagi-san noticed my expression and had been about to turn around and I… um… just grabbed his hand to stop him."

"You did?"

"I did yes and… seeing Hisashi while sober just seemed to set something off in me. I can't seem to forget everything he had put me through." Inko said with a sniffle as she was about to cry. "Yagi-san asked me if he wanted to walk me home after work and I accepted. I'm afraid that Hisashi will follow me home and try to break in."

"Inko…"

"I'm scared Mitsuki. I keep thinking that Hisashi will find me and try to hurt me again in more ways than one." Inko said with a sniffle.

Mitsuki held onto her friend, feeling the small green haired woman tremble in her arms before sobbing against the ash blonde's shoulder. Inko just sobbed her heart out. "I don't want to burden anyone. I don't want to burden you or Yagi-san. It's just too much for you both." Inko managed to sob out, her heart even trembled from the overbearing weight of her inner pain.

Letting out a soft sigh, the ash blonde just held onto Inko as she rubbed her back. Hoping that would help her to relax. "Inko." Mitsuki began, causing the woman in question to gaze up at her friend. "Listen, I don't care how much pain your through, if talking about it makes you feel better then talk about it. Either to me or Yagi-san. By the way, how much does he know?"

Inko looked away before letting out a soft sigh. "I… didn't tell him anything. He only knows that I was in an abusive relationship. Otherwise, that's it." Mitsuki frowned at that, though at the same time she also couldn't blame her for that. Yagi was still a stranger, still new to being in Inko's life and the only man that she really trusted. Though, Mitsuki still went by her assumption about him being good for the green haired woman.

"I can't, I'm afraid to tell him. The moment I tell him, he'll just think I'm a weak pathetic woman that can't deal with the weight of her own problems and has to depend on others for help. I don't want to bare it anymore but he is still the only other bright thing in my life."

"Well, I don't blame you for not wanting to lose his friendship. After all, he is a handsome man. If I wasn't already taken and in love I would have taken Yagi instead." Mitsuki said with a giggle.

Inko stared with wide eyes before pulling back. "Mitsuki!" she all but shouted. It seemed that talking about Yagi had taken her mind off of it. "We're only friends, he walks me home from work and we talk that's it."

"You can't deny that he isn't a handsome man. He is amazing to look at, wonder if he has the personality to match." Mitsuki said with a grin on her face.

Inko blushed, getting flustered before looking away and looking back up at her friend. Her mouth opening and closing as if she was trying to think of the right thing to say though honestly, it seemed that the words have just died in her throat. Mitsuki giggled a little as she calmly said "Inko,"

"Hm?"

"He is good for you Inko, look at all the things he has done for you already. He rescued you from Hisashi at the bar, he kept you calm at your job when you saw Hisashi and even walks you home. You are at least a little happier with him then you ever have been the last few months." Inko frowned a little before looking the park over. Mitsuki wondered if Inko was thinking things over, it had her curious as to what was going on in her head right now. "Maybe you should spend some time with him today, talk to him as well but answer me one thing…"

"What is it?"

"Has Yagi seen your scars?"

Inko paled at the thought, it seemed that she never intended to show him the scars that covered her body. How could she? They were constant reminders of her past, a past that Mitsuki knew that still haunted Inko to this day. Memories that she would never be able to wash away or cover up completely. It seemed that Inko would do all she could to make sure that no one ever saw her scars. So far the only person that had seen them besides doctors were Mitsuki, otherwise no one else had ever really seen her scars, not including the one who had caused them.

"Inko, when was the last time you really got to spend time with Yagi?"

"Besides him walking me home or going to the café for tea?"

"Yes."

"Um… last week I guess when we chatted on my break." Mitsuki sighed. In a way that was still getting tea but it was still them hanging out but still that was so long ago. Well at least over a week ago, maybe if she kept getting Inko to see Yagi more than well it may help Inko in the long run. At least, she was hoping that would be the case.

"Inko, send him a text and talk to him. Just go for a walk, it may make you feel better to tell him a bit about yourself to him and him to you. After all, what else do you know about him?" asked Mitsuki.

"Not much, I don't want to force him to tell me everything." Inko said with a small frown on her face, wiping at her eyes.

"It isn't pushing if you are asking questions. If he says he doesn't want to answer than you know you are crossing a line." Mitsuki pointed out with a smile on her face before giggling a little.

Looking up once again, Inko seemed to be deciding on what she should or could do. It seemed like her friend was at least deciding on what she could do for this but at the same time, it looked like she wanted to spend more time with the tall blonde haired man. Mitsuki hoped and prayed that Yagi would be the one to heal Inko's broken heart and wounded soul. If anyone deserved happiness it was her.

"Okay. Let me text him first." Inko said with a small smile before pulling out her cell phone and sent a text to the blonde. Mitsuki knew though, that if Yagi broke Inko's heart in anyway, then she'd have to kick his ass and make him regret his actions when or if that ever happened.

"He'll meet me here in ten minutes. Sit with me until then? I'd rather not be alone because of… well…" Mitsuki just smiled at her friend as she nodded her head. Though, she still had to lay some ground rules for Yagi at some point, there would be no way that she would let anyone hurt her best friend.

* * *

Toshinori hadn't expected a text from Midoriya-san, well, he had and he hadn't. Midoriya-san had been a little off every day since he started to walk her home from work. Not that he could really blame her, her ex, Hisashi had seem to think that he could come to the café all he wanted. Okay he could, it was a public place and all he knew was that there was no restraining order against him or the workers would have called the cops when they saw the owner in distress.

Looking at his cell again, Toshinori could still see the message displayed on his phone.

 _Would you like to go for a walk with me? I'm already at the park if you want to meet me there_

He smiled gently at that. He had replied to her that he would indeed join her. His shift ended early and he was happy for that, it gave him some time to be either alone or to spend it with her. Yet, because he had left early almost every day for over a week, a few of his friends who he worked with wondered why where he was going and thought that he had a girlfriend on the side.

He blushed and was flustered at that.

Shaking his head quickly, the young man placed his phone back in his pocket before looking up and saw that he was near the park's entrance. He just hoped that she wasn't alone, the last thing that she needed was to be alone with her ex seeming to follow her to her job. He wasn't sure if it was a coincidence or not, but he still had this nagging feeling in the back of his head that something like this had happened before.

It was there, along with a feeling of dread but he just couldn't be sure as to what it was that had made him feel like that. Was it due to him wanting to be a good friend to Midoriya-san or was there really something more to it than that?

Rubbing his face with a groan, the young man couldn't help but sigh softly at this. It just felt like something was wrong, and he knew that it would bother him for a while yet. Maybe it'll leave him alone once he was sure that Midoriya-san was okay. Looking up, he saw the green haired woman and smiled gently. He couldn't lie, she looked adorable in that pink long sleeved shirt and black skirt. Though it did confuse him why she wore clothes like that, wouldn't she be warm wearing that?

Shrugging a little, thinking that maybe she found the air a bit chilly out here today. "Midoriya-san!" Toshinori said with a smile on his face. He saw her look up and her face almost lit up completely in a small smile. Though, it wasn't a true bright smile but it wasn't fake either.

It was still a smile none the less.

"Hello Yagi-san." She said with her smile still in place. Turning his blue eyes over, he noticed that her friend was there as well… He never got her last name. God it felt weird to call anyone by their first name. "And good afternoon um… Miss…"

"Oh Yagi, you can just call me Mitsuki, I was never one to be formal." Mitsuki said with a smile on her face.

"Are you sure?" He asked with a frown.

"Of course, besides I'm sure Inko here wouldn't mind letting you call her by her first name either." Mitsuki said, slightly elbowing Inko's side though not roughly as Inko just blushed a little.

"Mitsuki!"

"Ah, I think I'll let her decide on if and when I can use her first name." Toshinori said with a nervous chuckle. He knew when he lived in the states that it was normal to use someone's first name but here, it still felt weird. For now, he'll have to make do with the situation he was in. "Anyway, did you want to join us on a walk Mitsuki?" asked Toshinori.

"Nah, I have to head back. I'll see you two later and you Inko." Mitsuki leaned close and whispered something to Midoriya-san. It was rather confusing as to what it was that they were saying but at the same time he knew that it wasn't any of his business. The blush on her face though well, it made him think that it was rather cute to see but shook his head of those thoughts.

"I… I…" Midoriya-san stuttered out, her blush growing darker.

"Just do it Inko, it won't kill you." With that, Mitsuki started to walk away though turned her attention to Toshinori as she whispered lowly to him. "I still go by my previous statement about you being good for her." Toshinori frowned a little, what was she going to say other than that. "But I swear on all that is holy that if you hurt her in anyway, I'll personally kick your ass."

Blinking a couple times in shock, Toshinori nodded his head slowly as he whispered back "I'd let you. I don't want to hurt her, but I want to help her heal." He calmly said before watching as she walked away from the two to be left alone with the other.

"What did she say to you?" asked Midoriya-san.

"Oh, nothing important." Toshinori lied. God, he hated it, he hated to lie to anyone for that matter. It was a bitter to taste and it left a horrible after taste in his mouth. "Anyway, let's go for a walk shall we Midoriya-san?"

She smiled up at him and nodded her head as she started to walk with Toshinori. Toshinori though, noticed how short she was compared to him. If he had to get a rough estimate he would say that she would come up to his chest, or even just a little shorter than that. Though he never had a problem with short women- wait whoa. Shaking his head, the young man looked on ahead wondering what he could say. What could he do really? He was rather awkward when it comes to small talk sometimes but, sometimes he had no issue when it came to Midoriya-san.

"Yagi-san, I'm rather curious about something." Asked Midoriya-san.

"Yeah?"

"I um… sometimes notice how you say other words in a different language. Why is that?" asked Midoriya-san.

Chuckling a little, he calmly answered her. "Oh, that's because I grew up in the states. I'm only half-Japanese. I'm also half-American."

"Really?"

"Yeah, my mom was American, dad was Japanese."

"Oh."

Chuckling at the curious sparkle in her eyes, Toshinori pulled out his wallet and flipped through the picture slots of his wallet before showing her a picture of a happy, smiling couple. The woman was tall with long blonde hair and bright electric blue eyes. She wore a simple white tank top and brown shorts while the man, had short black hair and matching black eyes. He wore a red muscle shirt and green shorts.

"They look so happy." She whispered softly.

"Yeah, from what I've been told, mom was an artist and loved Japanese art so she came down here to get some tips on how she could improve on her artistic style. Dad was some kind of business man and worked for a company. They met at a gala, I don't remember what for but, they met, fell in love and lived here." Toshinori said with a soft smile on his face.

"Oh, wait why you mentioned them in past tense does that mean…"

"They passed away when I was five. I don't have many memories of them if I'm completely honest. I was raised by my mom's sister and lived in the states until I was in my teens. Decided to come out here for school and I've lived here ever since. My aunt made more than enough money to support herself plus schools. Got a job to support myself when I was old enough and well, here I am." Toshinori explained before turning to Midoriya-san only to stare with wide eyes when he saw tears in her eyes. "Ah! Did I make you cry?!"

"It's just sad, you don't remember your parents and…"

"Hey, it isn't your fault." He said softly, holding her close to his side hoping to comfort her in some way. "I was too young to remember them or at the very least, have many memories of them. I just know they were always happy having me and…" Toshinori cut himself off from that. Who was he about to talk about? That was one thing that he could never figure out, every time he talked about his family he would be about to talk about someone but then, he can't remember who. Odd.

"Yagi-san?"

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You look a little confused." Midoriya-san asked with a frown, only to sniffle as she tried to clear up her tears.

"I'm fine, this is normal. Anyway, what about your family?" Toshinori said with a tilt of his head.

Midoriya-san frowned a little as she looked away. It seemed that whatever had happened between her and her family bothered her a great deal. Just as he was about to tell her not to worry, she went on speaking. "I haven't spoken to my parents for a while. At least, not since I started to date Hisashi, they didn't approve of him and I wished that I had listened to them but… he also… he also…"

"He made you push them away didn't he?" He asked in a whisper.

All she could do was nod, tears streaming down her cheeks as her body trembled. His first instinct was to hold her, which he did. Holding onto her, Toshinori allowed her to cry until she no longer had any tears left in her body. Honestly, he had no idea how anyone could cry that much, he swore that his entire shirt was drenched in her tears but at the same time he really couldn't be mad about that. Or even be mad at her. He didn't know why but, he knew that he couldn't do it… After all, it wasn't her fault for the tears, it wasn't her fault that Hisashi made her push her family out of her life either.

It was all his fault for doing this to such a nice woman.

Though… "I swear water is still involved with your quirk." He said with a chuckle.

Her responds? A soft teary giggle. "I hear that a lot." She answered him before pulling back and wiped at her eyes. A few sniffles escaped her though Toshinori decided that whenever he would have to start carrying tissues around in case she had another moment like this. May as well be prepared.

Taking a deep breath, Toshinori just held onto her a moment longer, allowing his mere presents to bring comfort to her. He wasn't sure if that would be enough to help her but, he just hoped that it would do something for her. "I think, one of these days we could ya know… watch movies inside or go for another walk or anything, just to get you out of the house and well, relax."

She smiled a little, looking up at the blonde haired man as she said "I think I'd like that, it would be nice to get out and not have to worry about anything. Thank you for being there for me so far Yagi-san."

Toshinori smiled gently at her, yeah he would do anything he could to help her. This would be the first step in healing her and he knew that he could help her. No matter how long this would take at least but, he couldn't help but wonder if she would ever share more about what had happened in the past with Hisashi. Oh well, he'll let her tell him at his own pace. "You can call me Toshinori." He whispered softly.

He noticed her blush only to smile. "Then you can call me Inko. It's only fair."

"I believe that is _very_ fair in my opinion Inko." Toshinori said with a smile. Yeah, this was a good start to a good friendship.

* * *

 **okay, before anyone asks, yes Toshi is forgetting someone. There is a reason for it, I won't say what it is, or who but what I will say he only notices himself forgetting when he talks about his family. Can you guess who it is and what happened to them? And why he forgot? R &R**


	4. Protection Plan

Toshinori knew that this was going to be difficult. Well, maybe not difficult but rather strange for this plan to take place but this was the only thing that he knew would help keep Inko safe even if she may not even be aware of it yet. Running a hand through his blonde locks, the young man heard the doorbell ring, causing him to get off of his couch and made his way over to the doorway before opening it. "Hizashi, Shouta. Thanks for coming on short notice, I hope you two didn't have a date or anything today."

A man that was a bit shorter than Toshinori, okay a good deal shorter than him but still taller than Inko stood in the doorway. He had long shaggy black hair and black eyes. If you looked closer, you would notice the beginning of bags starting to form under his tired looking eyes. He wore a simple black t-shirt and matching black shorts and of course, black sneakers. "Whatever Toshinori." He answered.

"Now Shouta! You shouldn't be so harsh." Said the other man next to Shouta. He had long blonde hair that, normally pulled back with hair gel to make it seem like wind kept it blown back at all times of the day. Toshinori wouldn't lie but he found it odd to see it down for a change, though he knew that he only had it down when he wasn't working at either job as a radio host or a hero.

He wore black headphones around his neck, had on a pair of orange sunglasses that hid his green eyes from people's view mostly. He wore a yellow muscle shirt, tight black leather pants with a few pockets and zippers along the legs. Next were the black leather fingerless gloves with a spiked leather bracelet on his left wrist and to finish off his outfit was a pair of black combat boots.

The man had a big smile on his face as he happily said "So, what did you need big guy?" Toshinori couldn't figure out how such a happy guy like Yamada could be with someone so… blunt, and dare he say it? Bland? No, well, unlively? Hm, maybe when they're alone Shouta was different but what would he know? Not like he was with someone to understand what it was like to be in love.

"I need to ask you guys to do me a favor. I promise it isn't anything that bad." Toshinori calmly said before adding "I'll make some tea, make yourselves comfortable." With that, he lead the way, hearing one of the guys close the door before making his way to the kitchen to get the kettle on for their tea. Thank god he managed to buy some more tea but, it was nothing compared to Inko's tea that was for sure.

"So, what made you drag our asses over here Toshinori?" asked Shouta, his tired eyes looking up at him, looking as if he would rather be in bed than here. Which may be true at this point.

"Well, you see I just started talking to this woman-"

"Oh you have a girlfriend! Who is she? What's her name!" Hizashi said with wide sparkling eyes.

Blushing madly, Toshinori held up his hands defensively. "Whoa! We aren't together like that or at all! She and I are just friends!" Toshinori sighed softly as he leaned against his chair and gave a dark look on his face. "I… I don't really know how to explain her situation."

"Then just spit it out, I have better things to do Toshinori." Mumbled Shouta.

"Shouta…" Hizashi said with a frown at the raven haired man.

How could he explain her situation? Would it even be right of him to tell his friends of what was going on in her life in the first place? Closing his eyes, taking a deep breath hoping to calm his nerves as he looked up at his friends and gave them a serious look. "What I say to you must never be repeated alright?"

Both of them almost seemed to stare at him with wide eyes. Well, Hizashi's eyes widened while Shouta still looked rather tired and bored but there was a hint of understanding within his tired orbs. When he saw them both nod, he went on. "My friend, Inko, she just got out of a bad relationship and… I think her ex is starting to stalk her. I met her at a bar one night on my day off and he was harassing her to the point that I think he was going to drag her out of the bar. She's scared, just going pale at the mere sight of him."

"You don't think she was abused do you?" asked Hizashi with a frown on his face.

"I am starting to think so." Folding his hands over on the table, Toshinori let out a soft sigh as he looked down at his hands. "Inko is terrified of this guy. Hell, the guy tried to use his quirk on me when I pinned him down on the counter at the bar. He's not stupid but I don't think he's all that smart either. He went to her work and she was terrified there too. I almost thought she would have vibrated through the floor."

"Must have been horrible abused then. You alright though?" asked Shouta.

"Yeah why? I mean I'm pissed at this guy for what he's possibly put her through but otherwise I'm fine." Toshinori answered honestly. Though he saw both Shouta and Hizashi look at each other before looking back at them. "You two alright?"

"Fine." Shouta mumbled before asking "So what do you want us to do? Unless there is proof of this abuse and him stalking her we can't do anything. We may be heroes but even we have to abide by the law."

"I know, that's why I was thinking why don't you spread word about Inko's café. Have them all go there on her break. This way, there is a hero there protecting her at all times of the day while the café is open and I can walk her home. It seems that it would work that way right?"

"You sure you don't like this woman?" asked Shouta.

"Yes I'm sure!" Toshinori said, his blush saying otherwise.

Hizashi chuckled a little but didn't tease the blonde man about it anymore than his boyfriend had. "Alright, now this Inko woman seems to have you captivated at the least. You want to help her."

"I saw her at the bar, if you had seen her eyes then you would be on the same page as me. She looked… dead. As if she had given up on life." His hands trembled slightly, he wasn't sure why that was though willed himself to stop as he took a deep breath. "I feared that if someone hadn't done something to save her then she would have taken drastic measures just to escape him."

Both of them had stared at Toshinori with concern after he said that. It seemed they were thinking the same thing, at least from the expression that he could see on their faces. Whatever it was, he had no idea what it could be. Though he knew that he had to do something to help Inko even if he has to ask other heroes to help him in some way. Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori pushed himself up as he heard the kettle starting to boil. "I'll be back, I'll get the tea ready. But seriously, Inko's tea is a lot better than store bought brands." He chuckled a little before making his way to the kitchen and started to get everything settled.

He grabbed the cups and set them on a tray as he started to set. Grabbing the tea packets, the milk, sugar and other odds and ends. Just as he reached out for the kettle, his hand hitting the hot metal only to curse out "Ah! Fucking shit damn it!"

Holding onto his hand, Toshinori didn't think he'd burn himself. Normally he's always so careful when it comes to this but damn it all. Burns were the worst thing to deal with, made him he had a fire-related quirk to help him but sadly that wasn't the case. "Toshi you alright?" called Hizashi as he came into the kitchen with a frown on his face.

"Fine, just burned myself." Toshinori waved his friend off before turning to his friend. "Can you set this on the table for me? I'm gonna look for my first aid kit." He didn't turn to Hizashi as he went to look for his first aid kit. Well, one of many. Because of his quirk, he tends to break things even by accident. Or the fact that sometimes he was in his own world and would hurt himself one way or another. It would always irritate him to no end but at the moment he didn't care.

Letting out a soft sigh, his hand burning and it was starting to hurt. Looking around, he tried to think on where he had put the first aid kit that he kept in his living room. There were drawers from his desk. Did he leave one in his desk? Maybe.

As he made his way over to his desk, he noticed one long side table near the desk and he froze. That was a drawer that he hasn't opened in years. And to be honest, he wasn't sure why that was. Every time he tried he would feel a sense of dread, of pain. His body started to tremble without him even noticing, why didn't he move?! Why couldn't he open it?! Sounds would reach his ears though he wasn't sure what they were, they were all muffled to his ears.

"Toshi?" called Hizashi, it didn't completely snap him out of it though he just slowly turn to stare at his blonde haired friend. "You alright?" he asked, concern lacing his words.

Before Toshinori could even speak, he saw Shouta holding a blanket and throwing it over the end table covering it. Breaking the spell that it had its hold on him mere moments ago. Before he could stop himself, Toshinori fell to his knees and let out a shuddering breath. "You alright?" asked Shouta as he knelt in front of Toshinori. "Why don't you throw that thing out, you can't even look at it."

"It was my mother's, I'm not throwing it out because I… I can't…" Toshinori sighed softly, feeling ashamed of everything. Why was it that he could handle fighting villains yet when it came to a normal side table he just seemed to freeze in some kind of… well he didn't have the right word for it. It wasn't a memory because there were no images. Not even sounds for that matter or at least, no sounds that he could make out.

"Toshinori, you sit down and I'll get the first aid kit. You are useless right now." Shouta grumbled before making his way to the bathroom. Knowing that there was at least one of them in there at the very least. That left the tall blonde with his friend before Hizashi helped the trembling man to the kitchen to sit down.

"I'm fine Hizashi." Whispered Toshinori.

"No, you need to calm down and relax first alright?" Hizashi said with a serious look to his face.

"You know what causes this don't you?" Toshinori asked with a frown.

"No." Hizashi said quickly, a little too quickly for Toshinori's liking. He knew something, but then again this has been going on for years and no one would ever tell Toshinori what it was. Whatever it was though knew that he would never get an answer. Maybe it has something to do with whatever it was that he had forgotten. Or, maybe he was just over thinking this.

"So, why did you want us to help this Inko woman? There has to be something between you two." Hizashi said with a smile on his face.

"No, nothing is going on with us. We're just friends. Come on Hizashi, she could have been abused and I don't even know if she is really being stalked anymore. I haven't heard about any signs of Hisashi so I'm just assuming that he's left her alone for now but… I'm still worried." Shaking his head, Toshinori let out a soft sigh as he stared at his friend only to look back down at the table. "If he does show up, what if she has some kind of panic attack or something?"

"Maybe you should just play her guitar." Shouta said, causing Toshinori to all but jump out of his skin. The raven haired man just blinked slowly at the two blondes before taking his seat and opening up the little white box and started to wrap up Toshinori's hand. "If I recall correctly, you could play guitar pretty well. Maybe playing that would help her relax."

"I don't play for people, I can't even stand to perform in front of people again." Toshinori pointed out with a sigh.

"Yet you can do hero work without any issues?"

"Because I'm doing a heroes job, not performing in front of a live audience." Toshinori pointed out with a sigh. Looking at his now bandaged hand, the young man wondered what more he could do to help Inko. This was something small, but at least it would provide her some kind of protection though, there were still other things that he had to worry about. Letting out another sigh, the young man just couldn't help but think or try to think on what else he could do for Inko.

"Well, don't forget you'll be with her the whole time at the Hero Gala remember?"

"Yeah, but she doesn't know I'm a hero per say. Only that I work at a Hero's Agency." Toshinori pointed out with a sigh.

"Maybe one day you should tell her the truth should it lead to you two dating." Hizashi said with a big grin on his face.

Blushing madly, Toshinori groaned a little as he said "We're not together! I don't think we'll ever get together! Inko doesn't see me that way and I don't see her that way!" denied Toshinori.

Yet, the couple just looked at their friend, it seemed that Toshinori had no idea that he already had feelings for this 'Inko' woman. Whoever she was, they think that he was doing this for more than just one reason. More than just trying to protect a woman from an abusive ex, or just for 'a friend'. Though they couldn't be sure what it was completely since this was still Toshinori's life. Not theirs but, they would still help out their friend all they could.

"Alright, we'll help. So, what's the name of this café?" asked Shouta.

"The Emerald Café." Answered Toshinori.

"Oh, I already go there if I have morning shifts." Shouta mumbled before turning to his boyfriend. "It's that café that will make me those treats that look like cats."

"Oh yeah! I remember you brought some of those home one day, they tasted amazing! Sure, I'm in!" Hizashi said with a big grin on his face.

Figures, they'd do anything for treats. Though, they were his friends so he couldn't really blame them for that. He was still grateful for their friendship that much was true though he still just hoped that everything would be alright. Though, he still had some kind of nagging feeling in the back of his head that there was more to him wanting to help Inko than he let on. Even if it was on some kind of sub-conscious level.

"Look guys, the only thing I care about is her safety. I want to make sure that she can smile, be happy and not have to worry about her ex trying to ruin her life." Toshinori said with a small smile on his face. "If anything, Inko deserves all the happiness in the world that much I can say for sure."

Both men stared at her with frowns on their faces. Though they just stared at him with blank looks on their faces afterwards… Only for those to turn into grins. "You so like her." Said Hizashi with a chuckle.

"I do not like her that way!" shouted Toshinori, his face turning a new shade of red.

* * *

Meanwhile, someone sat in the darkness of the alleyway. He just stared at a wall that was covered in photos that he has secretly taken. This was interesting, so many pictures, so many of them of dear sweet Inko and she would soon be his again. Though, all he needed was the perfect plan to get her back in his life.

Inko just didn't know it yet. She was meant to be with him, meant to be with him and only him. It had been so long since he had been with someone else only difference was that it didn't end well with her. All he had to do was make sure that she wouldn't leave him like that last one had. Though, if he had too, then he may have to take matters into his own hands. What really pissed him off though beyond the fact that she had left him and managed to hide her new home somewhere else from him was who she was spending time with.

Picking up a photo of Inko with a tall blonde haired man, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes at the photo. This man was going to ruin everything. He would ruin his plan to have his Inko back in his life, but he would just have to find a way to get her away from him and him, away from her. But, that would be easier said than done. The man was strong, that was for sure. Maybe it would just be easier to just take Inko somewhere or… if he couldn't have her then no one shall.


	5. Hero's Gala

Inko didn't know how long it had taken her to get everything prepared for the gala. All she knew was that it had felt like hours. They had started most of the baking yesterday so everything was still good to go. Everything else had to be made at the last minute so it wouldn't have been bad. Smiling to herself, the young woman let out a soft sigh before looking at her flour covered clothes.

Looking up at the time, Inko saw that she had some time before her escort would come to pay for the food and take it, along with her to the gala. God, it felt so weird to go to such a gallant event. To be surrounded by heroes.

Yet, people would tell her time and again that this was an event that normal people would kill to be able to go to. She should considered herself lucky, blessed even to be able to go to such an event. Though could she really count herself blessed at all? Look at her life, she was in an abusive relationship, to the point where she doesn't feel comfortable in her own skin anymore and… to where she doesn't even like to wear short sleeved shirts or shorts anymore.

No one could love her like this and she has for the most part come to terms with it.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman made her way over to the employee bathroom and locked the door behind her. Sure, she didn't have to worry about anyone else walking in on her but, she still felt worry coursing through her. Everyone had already finished their work day, so they had left Inko alone. Knowing that she was already going to be picked up by a hero.

Pulling out her bag, Inko pulled out a long sparkling purple dress that Mitsuki said would really bring out her eyes and make her hair seem shinier. If that was even possible.

Removing her flour covered clothes, Inko quickly slid on her dress. The sleeves were long, just reaching halfway past her elbows. It didn't cover the little scar on her arm though people would just assume that it was a scratch. A deep one at that though, no one ever noticed it in the first place. Besides, the worst ones were further up her arms and the rest of her body.

Sighing softly, the young woman looked at her hair and frowned a little. If she was gonna go to this gala, may as well do her hair while she was at it. Pulling out a curling iron, the young woman got to work. Curling her hair, only making a small bun at the back of her head with her hair curling down past her shoulders. Turning her head side to side, the young woman couldn't help but wonder if this would be enough to make her at least look decent.

Sighing softly, she set down the curling iron and unplugged it so it could cool down. After that, she pulled out her make-up kit and started to get to work. Pulling out sky lavender eyeshadow, Inko had been told that it works for those with green eyes. Though, if she was honest she wasn't really sure since she never went to such an event before in her entire life.

Looking at her reflection, Inko couldn't help but tilt her head side to side as she gazed at herself. Did she look nice? Frowning a little, the young woman couldn't help but sigh softly as she pulled out some lip gloss before applying it, her lips now the colour as a cherry blossom. It made her smile a little though it almost seemed a little forced.

Sighing once again, Inko grabbed a pair of lavender strapped heeled sandals as she slid those on. Mitsuki sure did made sure that everything was purple, maybe to make sure she stuck out or something. Though, she knew that her friend meant well though since she started to spend time with Toshinori it just felt like she had been pushing it but at the same time, that was just how she was. It was how she got together with her boyfriend after all and they are still happy either way.

Once she made sure that everything was perfect or at least, as close as she could be to perfect, Inko started to pack up everything and left the employee bathroom and went to her own office. She'll have to pick up all of her things tomorrow, it would look weird for her to bring a bag full of her dirty work clothes and her make up bag. So, this was the best option, though she still couldn't help but wonder who it was that would be taking her to this gala.

So many questions yet no answers.

As she made her way to the main area for the pickup, Inko noticed her reflection in the window. She couldn't help but stare at herself. The last time she had ever really dressed up like this was when she first started to date Hisashi. He had called her adorable at the time but then…

 _"Don't even think for a moment that you could ever be beautiful Inko. You are nowhere near close to that level. Just be grateful that I'm even dating you in the first place! After me, who would want my seconds? No one that's who, I am the only one you could ever be with. The sooner you learn that, the better so just accept it Inko."_

Inko started to tremble, holding onto herself as if she would fall apart. The feeling of his hands over her body made her shake all the more. Him hitting her, hurting her, screaming at her and calling her such horrid names. All of them seem to flash through her mind and it made her shake all the more. Tears started to build up in her eyes, about to spill over. It seemed that she could never escape the man, and she knew that. How he treated her all that time still haunted her and would for years to come. How could anyone love-

"Excuse me? Are you Midoriya Inko?" said a voice, causing Inko to jump out of her skin and turn around so quickly that she thought that she would give herself whiplash.

"Yes?" she said shakily.

"I'm here to pick up the catering order and to escort you." Said a man, Inko blinked her eyes quickly, hoping to clear away her tears. "Are you okay? You seem… shaken."

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me, let me just go ring up the price and we'll get that sorted out. First what's the order number?" Inko said, trying to sound calm, collected though really she was still far from alright. Maybe to the point that she didn't think that she should be going to the gala event anymore. But… then her friend would tell her that she wasted a great opportunity.

As she heard him read off the order number, Inko started to dig around for the papers though she knew that this was indeed the order. Turning her eyes toward the man, she saw that he had blonde hair with two long locks that would stick up, defying all gravity. The rest of his blonde locks looked like they were jelled back. His eyes were hidden by shadows though she could make out glowing blue eyes that almost seemed to radiate electricity of some kind.

He wore a simple black tux with a matching tie. She wasn't sure why but Inko felt like the colour just didn't seem him but, it still worked for him. The man was also rather tall, maybe just a little taller than Toshinori but otherwise not by much. And he was huge, having such large muscles made her think that he had some kind of strength quirk or something related to it. Amazing that someone could look like that and still have such a proud fearless smile on his face.

"Are you okay though miss?" asked the muscular man.

Inko blushed a little, thinking that she had been caught before turning away. "I'm fine, why do you ask?"

"Your eyes are red, were you crying?" he asked in concern.

Oh, he had seen that her eyes were red from when she had been close to crying. Well, at least he hadn't noticed that she was staring so that was a plus at the very least. Though, she had hoped that he wouldn't think little of her because of her tears. Even though everyone who knew her that she was a crier in the first place.

Giving him a small smile, she wiped at her eyes with her fingers only to frown when she saw him holding out a tissue. Frowning, she looked up at the man as he gave her a kind smile on his face. "Here, I think this may work better for you." Inko smiled gratefully at the man before accepting the tissue and dabbing at her eyes. "You gonna be okay?" he asked softly, gently.

"Yes, I'm sorry I'm a crier." Inko said with a small smile before asking "So, are you paying cash or debit?"

"Credit actually." He said with a chuckle before pulling out a credit card. Inko accepted the card for a moment before looking at it. It was the name of the company that he worked for most likely or at least the hero agency. Swiping the card, Inko handed it back to him before holding up a keypad to him to punch in the pin for the card and went to go get everything out so they could place it in his car, truck or whatever it was that he drove here in.

Once she started to bring out a box, the young woman saw the man towering over her. It made her flinch in a way, he must have seen it as he backed away. "I'm sorry, I was going to ask if you would like some help carrying those boxes from the back to your car." He asked.

"That would be lovely but I can't let anyone in the back I'm sorry. But, you can start carrying these to your vehicle if you like. That would be just as helpful." Inko politely said, smile small but still genuine.

He smiled back at her before he started to carry the boxes from the café to the van that he had rented from the agency that he worked for. Inko of course, carried some of the heavier ones though struggled a bit with the weight until the hero came in to help her. With the other ones, she would use her quirk to bring those to the hero. Oh right, she never learned what his name was. "Um, excuse me if I may ask what your name is?"

"You can call me All Might In- Midoriya-san." All Might said with a chuckle. Inko wondered why he suddenly choked up on his words there but shrugged it off for now. Once everything was in the back of the van, Inko felt a chill running through her spine for a brief moment. She felt like she was walking into a death trap, not that the van itself was anything to be afraid of. Far from it.

Honestly, it was rather nice. It was red with white trim and hints of gold running just above the tires. "Midoriya-san, are you gonna be okay?" asked All Might with a frown on his face.

"Sorry, I'm just nervous I guess." Inko answered honestly before looking away. It wasn't like she could tell him that she was scared about being taken somewhere else. About not looking as lovely as the other heroes that would be there or even their wives. She wouldn't even be close to 'pretty' compared to them.

"Why? I don't think you have anything to be worried about. I bet there will be lots of men who would love to dance with a lovely woman such as yourself." All Might said with a smile, which caused Inko to stare at him with wide eyes.

"Wh-What did you call me?" she asked in shock.

"I said… um… well, I called you a lovely woman. Shouldn't I have been honest?" gulped the hero as he looked at anything but her.

Inko felt tears building up in her eyes, and of course the hero panicked thinking he made her cry as he kept trying to say he was sorry for making her cry. Yet, she could only laugh, she wasn't sure why but this was familiar to her, but Inko couldn't place her finger on it. Oh well.

* * *

Inko didn't think she belonged here if she was honest. After she had set up the dessert table, she made her way to a chair, having eft All Might in his wake. Honestly, she felt rather over whelmed to the point that she was close to just walking out. All she wanted was to just leave this place and not look back. She was here, that still had to mean something at the very least. Just didn't mean that she had to stay here.

Though, at the same time she couldn't help but want to stay here. She wanted to see and have fun for once and enjoy herself.

Sadly, Inko wasn't sure if she could ever really enjoy herself in the first place. It just felt like everything would be against her. She felt rather closed off from the world still, though that was mostly due to how Hisashi treated her in the past. How could you get over such an event in the first place? It was the only thing that would haunt your dreams and just about every waking moment.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman finished setting up the treats when she felt something pressing against her cheek, causing her to jump. She was amazed that she hadn't found herself outside of her own skin. Looking up she saw All Might standing there, holding a champagne glass with a smile on his face. "I thought I'd get you a drink as well as myself." Inko blinked in shock that he would have gone out of his way to get her a drink.

"Thank you." Inko whispered softly as she accepted the glass he held out for her and sipped at it. When was the last time a man went out of his way to get her a drink? Never. Not even Hisashi would do that for her.

"I had heard about your café, was told it was amazing when it comes to tea and treats that I had to tell my boss about it. So he arranged for me to make the order in-"

"Wait that was you on the phone?" Inko said with shock.

Blushing a little and rubbing the back of his neck, All Might said "Yeah, it was. I'm sorry, I thought it was better for you to go with someone who a friend of yours knew so-"

"Wait what?"

"Ah yes, your friend Toshinori thought it was best if I was your escort for this evening. To let you have some fun and of course to be surrounded by heroes." All Might said with a small smile on his face.

"How well do you know Toshinori?" asked Inko with a frown.

All Might seemed to have paused for a second. Almost as if he was in deep thought though didn't take him too long to answer her. "Long enough. He works in the office, I'm always out in the field." Oh, that made sense though she wondered if they were friends.

"Are you two… um… friends?" she asked softly.

"No."

Oh, well she guessed that was alright but, it meant that Toshinori trusted All Might enough for him to take her out to the Heroes Gala, so that had to mean something at the very least. Though it seemed that her fun or, what could be considered fun here, would have to be shared to Toshinori by her instead of All Might so, that had to mean something at the very least right?

"I'm sorry though that I had to ruin your night. You could be out there dancing with a beautiful woman, having the time of your life. Yet, here you are stuck with someone like me." Inko said with a soft sigh before looking on ahead. IF she was honest, she wanted to go out there, dancing with someone that would hold her close like she was the most important person in their life though, that was nothing but a fantasy. A dream that would never come to fruition. It was something that she had come to terms with and there would be nothing that would change her dreams into reality.

"What makes you think that you ruined my night?" asked All Might, confusion written all over his face as he gazed down at her.

"Well… um… because I'm not really all that pretty." Inko said, her face tinting a soft pink. God why did he have to stare at her like she had said the oddest thing on the planet? Why else wouldn't his night be ruined in the first place? After all, he could have come here with anyone or even have met someone here that came alone. Someone who was a hundred times more beautiful than she could ever-

"I think you are beautiful Midoriya-san. You shouldn't think so poorly on yourself." Cut in All Might's voice. Inko couldn't help but look up at him with wide eyes, staring at him with shock. Yet she couldn't help but notice the pink tinting his own cheeks at his own words. "I don't know what makes you think like that but you should stop that." He mumbled as he looked away, scratching his cheek with his index finger. "You are a lovely woman, any man would be lucky to have you. To be honest, I'm rather honoured to have you as my company." To be honest, she was rather happy that he hadn't said 'date' since she wasn't ready to even think about dates at all.

"But…"

"No buts." Cut in All Might, his gaze serious yet soft. "You are lovely, beautiful, and from what I've been told an amazing baker and make a great cup of tea. Who wouldn't want you in their life? Anyone who says otherwise is a fool. An idiot, someone who is unworthy of you. If they can't see you as a lovely person, both inside and out then they aren't worth your time or thoughts."

Inko just stared at the tall man before her. His words sounded so sincere and, it made her happy. For it made her heart soar and fill with happiness for the first time in a while. Hell, the only other person that makes her feel this way was Toshinori and… she was grateful.

Letting out a choked up sob, Inko couldn't help but cover her mouth as she tried to keep herself from crying outright. God, of all the times to cry it had to be now of all times? Looking up, she saw that the blonde man had another tissue for her. Giggling softly, she whispered "Thank you" before accepting the tissue and wiping at her eyes, mindful of her eyeshadow.

"It's not a problem Midoriya-san." Calmly said All Might, though she could hear the smile in his voice which only made her smile.

"No I mean it, thank you for everything. I… I guess I didn't know how much I wanted to hear those words before." Inko whispered softly.

"Sometimes, words from a stranger is all one needs."

Inko blinked a little at that, those sounded like the words Toshinori had once said to her when they first met. Maybe they both followed that ideology or something though, either way it still made her happy to hear them.

Soon, a slow song started to play, causing Inko to turn her mind back to the dangers. Some of them had already started to dance and, she had to admit the melody was lovely. It was a song that she used to dance to with another boyfriend she had as a young teen, though that was nothing but an old feeling for her at that point. Soon, she saw All Might finish off his drink in a single gulp before setting his glass down and smiled at the green haired woman. "Care to dance Midoriya-san?" asked All Might, smile brighter to the point that she thought it could light up the whole world.

Maybe even her own darkness as well but, that was just hopeful thoughts on her part.

Yet…

"I'd love too."

All Might's grin got even brighter before he held out his hand for Inko, who slowly slid her hand into his and he walked with her to the dance floor. Inko couldn't help but stare with surprise at how his hand easily covered hers, if he wanted too, he could easily break her hand. Yet, his grip was so gentle, more like he was afraid to break her. _'Guess even heroes are scared of things, then again they are only human as well…'_ Inko thought to herself with a small smile on her face.

Once they reached the dance floor, the blonde man carefully wrapped his right arm around Inko's tiny waist, holding her close to his chest. Inko had to admit, he was warm and, he gave off this aura that made her feel safe. The only other person she felt like this was Toshinori, but why? She reached up and tried to place her free hand on his shoulder though, she couldn't really reach or at the very least, it would look rather ridiculous. So, she settled her hand on his chest, across from his heart.

Peeking up at him, Inko couldn't help the blush that started to form on her cheeks as she felt him starting to move with her on the dance floor. She noticed that he was taking slow careful steps due to her being shorter than him.

If she was honest, this was the last thing that she thought would happen in her life. Here she was, dancing with a hero at a gala. Sure, she had only been meant to cater for the event itself, but still, to be dancing here with a hero, who, none the less, told her that she was a beautiful woman rather than what… she had started to believe after all these years.

Frowning a little, Inko couldn't help but feel her mind go back to those dreadful days to when she was with Hisashi.

"Are you alright Midoriya-san?" asked All Might with a frown on his face.

"Yes… yes I'm sorry. I guess my mind just wandered to the past is all." Inko whispered softly, not sure how else to really say it without giving away too much. Even now, she fears what would happen if she told anyone about what Hisashi did while they were together. Just thinking about it made her shudder at the thought.

Holding her closer to his chest, Inko blushed a little as her head now rested against his chest, below his heart yet she could still hear it beating as if she was resting right atop of it. "Don't think about the past, if it's dark and only hurts you don't think about it. If you have happy memories of your past think of those, and a future where you can be happy. To be loved, and to love. There are people who love you Midoriya-san, do not worry."

Inko felt her eyes widen before she burying her face against his shirt and started to cry softly. All Might moved his hand from her waist and gently rubbed her back, hoping to sooth her hurting heart and soul. "You don't deserve to wallow in sadness, you, more than anyone in this world deserves to be happy no matter what others say."

If she was honest, Inko didn't think that she could be happy. Everything that she had thought that could make her happy made her feel like she didn't deserve it. Didn't even deserve to love anyone or to have anyone love her in return. Yet, here was a stranger, a new and upcoming hero telling her that she had a right to be happy no matter what others say about her. Pulling her head back a bit, Inko looked up and had half-expected All Might to be mad at her for crying on him.

But his soft and gentle smile told her otherwise.

"If you need to cry, then cry, don't keep it all bottled up because it will only hurt you more if you do." All Might whispered gently, Inko knew that he said it low enough so only she could hear him.

"Why do you care so much All Might? I'm just a stranger to you so… why?"

"I'm a hero Midoriya-san, we help anyone in need. Plus, Toshinori cares about you so you must be a special woman to have his friendship." He chuckled a bit, though his face tinted pink at his words. Why? He was a rather confusing man but, she couldn't help but smile though. Toshinori sure had some nice friends, he must have a good sense of character that allowed him to have only good friends. Even though she only knows of herself, Mitsuki and All Might right now.

"Now, I believe a special woman should be enjoying her dance." Chuckled All Might with a smile on his face.

Inko couldn't help but smile at that. Laying her head back on his chest, the young woman couldn't help but sigh softly in content. Honestly, she wondered what would happen in her life after this. It seemed that lately, her life was finally going in the right direction, and she couldn't be more grateful. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if it would just fall apart at some point. After all, good things never do last for her but, she couldn't help but let out a soft sad sigh.

A single stray tear fell from her eye, and a soft touch to her cheek caused her to look up in confusion. All Might had caught her tear and licked it away from his finger. Inko frowned a little at that. "Why did you do that?" she asked softly.

"I was told by someone a long time ago, that if you catch the first single tear that your wish will come true." He calmly said.

"What did you wish for?" asked Inko.

"Well, it may seem a bit silly coming from a stranger, even more than hearing what I have said thus far but… well." He blushed a little before taking a deep breath. Hoping to calm himself, she saw him breathe a few times before he finally answered her. "I wished for your happiness. Wished that one day, you'll have the love you deserve, and someone who will love you no matter your faults, your flaws and well, everything."

Inko just stared with wide eyes, he would wish something like that for her? Her, of all people in the whole world? Was he that kind to people or was it because he had an idea as to what it was that happened to her in her past? Laying her head back on his chest, Inko whispered "Thank you All Might, thank you so much."

Her body started to tremble once again, her hands tightening their hold on his shirt as she tried hard not to fall apart at the seams once again. It was hard for her, that much was obvious but, to have someone use up a wish like that on her? Well, who was she to reject such kindness from anyone?

It was nice, and it made her heart soar with a feeling that she never thought she could ever feel.

Though she just wasn't sure what this feeling even was in the first place. It was something that she had felt with Toshinori, that much she knew to be true but at the same time it was still something completely new at the same time. Whatever it was, it was something that she never wanted to lose. It was something that she always wanted to have to hold in her heart for the rest of her life, no matter how long she would live, it would never be long enough.

Taking a deep breath, Inko felt the hero shift his hold on her, wrapping both of his strong arms around her as if to shield her from the world and all the things that would dare harm her. "You're very welcome Midoriya-san. You're so very welcome." Whispered the hero, just holding onto the woman as they danced the night away, far into the night until Inko and the hero had to go their separate ways. Though, what neither of them knew, it was that they both wanted to spend more time with the other.


	6. Movie Night

Toshinori yawned softly as he slowly started to open his eyes, wanting to sleep a little longer though he knew that he would have to get up for work soon. Yawning once more, he buried his face in his pillow, just wanting to sleep a little more. His mind kept drifting back to last night, he couldn't believe that he had danced with Inko last night, but at the same time he was happy. Dancing with her felt like a dream come true but, why was that?

Why would he have any kind of feeling like that for his friend? Let alone a friend that he hadn't known very long?

Strange, letting out a groan the young blonde pushed himself out of bed and made his way to his bathroom to get himself ready for the day. The dance was nice, lovely, yet to see that Inko had such low self-esteem about herself well, he couldn't help but wonder what could have happened to have her think such things about herself. Sure, at past galas there were women who would throw themselves at him and well, it got rather annoying.

Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori turned on the hot water for his shower before removing his boxers and stepped into the shower, letting the hot water wake him up. He yelped a little with how hot the water was only to start to relax. Closing his eyes, he took in a few deep breaths as he let out a soft sigh. "I can't believe Inko would say such things about herself. I don't know what this Hisashi guy was telling her while they were together but I'll make sure that she never thinks such things ever again." He promised himself.

With that promise in mind, Toshinori got to work on getting himself ready for the day ahead of him. Even though he had some tea, he still felt like going to the café to getting a cup of tea. He rather enjoyed Inko's tea more than anything and it made him happy, her smile itself was always enough to brighten up his day.

Chuckling at the thought, he finished his shower before wrapping a towel around his waist and made his way to brushing his hair, his teeth and so on.

It was rather odd that he felt so giddy, so lively and excited to go out for a cup of tea. Though, he couldn't help but blink in confusion. Why did he feel like this in the first place? He was just doing what he did every day. Getting up, get ready for a long day at work, go get tea at the café, chat with Inko for a few minutes then head to work. After that he would walk Inko home from work so she would feel safe. After that, he would go back to his own apartment and have something to eat before going to bed.

That was how his life had been before Inko came into his life. The only difference was that he would go the café for tea instead of just making it at home and going to work and coming straight home. Closing his eyes for a brief moment, hoping to calm himself down. How was it that his life had changed even just a little bit over a month? Or had it been even longer than that at this point?

Hearing his phone buzz, he blinked his blue eyes in confusion before making his way over to his cell and picked it up and smiled softly at the message.

 _Hi Toshinori! I was wondering if you wanted to have a movie night at my apartment this coming weekend! I'll make some snacks for us if you want!_

He couldn't help but chuckle, eyes softening at the idea of having a movie night with her. It warmed his heart that she could sound so lively on a text message. In fact, now that he thought about it, her eyes shined more since he came into her life and well, it made him happy to see such a change in her. Even though she still had her moments where she couldn't even talk about her past but at the same time, just had moments where she would go back to those dark thoughts.

Inko will have a life that she deserves, a life where she can be happy. That was what she deserved more than anything in this life. Quickly typing up his reply, Toshinori hit send.

 _Sure, sounds great! But I insist on bringing something! How about you make snacks and I'll bring dinner. Sound good?_

Just as he was about to set his cell down, it chimed once again to show him another message from the green haired woman. Blinking in shock, the young man checked his phone and smiled.

 _Alright, sounds fair Toshinori. I'm good for anything, doesn't matter to me._

 _Great, see you then._

Chuckling, he set his phone down before throwing on some clean clothes to get him through the day and sighed softly. If anything, he would rather spend time with Inko but knew that he still had a job to do as a hero. A hero had to protect everyone, not just someone who was dear to you but the world. "The difficulties of being a hero, but it is worth it." He said with a small smile before grabbing everything he'd need for the day and started to make his way out of his apartment yet, as he walked out he couldn't help but stare at the cloth covered table. Even though it was covered, he still felt a chill but it wasn't as over powering as before. "What's in that thing anyway?" He mumbled to himself, not sure what was in there, but he knew that he couldn't open it.

He felt like whatever was in there may shatter him and that's what frightened him. Even though he didn't want to open it, a part of him felt like he would have to open it at some point of time. "Maybe one day, just not today…" He whispered softly before leaving his home and went straight to work.

* * *

Soon, the weekend came and Inko couldn't help but smile. It was odd, but she felt so light, so happy and cheerful. Sure, she had her moments where she still felt her mind go back to those dark days but, then she kept thinking about what All Might had told her. She shouldn't keep allowing her mind to go back to those dark days, those days were behind her but, at the same time it was still easier said than done.

It still confused her as to why he acted similar to Toshinori, it was as if they both had the same ideas and idea of thinking. Though, All Might was a bit more out spoken and daring with his words so to speak than Toshinori as even her friend hadn't called her 'beautiful' but he still smiled and made her happy either way.

Letting out a soft sigh, she set the treats and snacks in the fridge, having baked them all herself since Toshinori had said many times that he loved her baking and tea. It was amazing, it was like he could easily live off of her baking and tea and nothing else. Yet, knowing that it made her smile.

Even Hisashi never said anything about her baking.

Frowning a little, Inko couldn't help but wonder, why did she enjoy Toshinori's company so much in the first place? Was there something about him that drew her in? Was it his easy smile, the safety that she felt while around him or was it just him as a whole?

Shaking her head a little, Inko knew that she shouldn't think about it much. Maybe she'll think about the answer when she least expects it and then, she can finally figure it out. "That sounds like a plan." Inko said with a giggle before she went to her movie collection wondering what movies that they would enjoy. She didn't want to show it but, she was a bit of a dork when it came to movies. No one, other than Mitsuki knew that she loved the Star War movies, sure she had to have it subbed but it was still something that she could enjoy.

She wanted to hide those movies from Toshinori, thinking that if he knew that she was a dork that he would just laugh at her. Even Hisashi, when he knew some of her other movie choices, called her childish or a, and she had to quote on this "a fucking nerd" and that hurt. He was supposed to love her and he treated her like the gum off of his shoe.

Sighing softly, the young woman went to hide some of her movies until she heard the doorbell going off. Jumping a bit, Inko looked at the time, seeing that he was a bit early. Not overly so though he must have left earlier, she had noticed that sometimes he was either late or early. Sometimes he would even have to leave early the few times they would hang out because something from work would come up and it had bothered her at first until she remembered he worked at a hero agency so it makes sense that he'd have to leave here and there.

Making her way to the door, Inko dusted herself off before opening the door and found Toshinori smiling brightly as usual. He wore a simple white t-shirt and green pants with a belt holding them up. The pants had many pockets though she wasn't sure why anyone would want to have a pair of pants with that many pockets. Giving a mental shrug, Inko just smiled as she said "Hello Toshinori, what did you bring us today?"

"I brought some ramen and some sushi. I hope that's alright?" Toshinori tilted his head to the side, causing Inko to giggle a bit. How was it that he could be so cute just by doing a simple tilt of his head? It just didn't make sense but at the same time it made her think that it was just how he was.

"That's fine for me. I think you mostly wanted to save room for what I baked today." Inko said with a giggle.

"Yeah, you got me. I can't help it though, you bake such good treats!" Toshinori said with a whine, only to end up pouting at the end. That only made Inko laugh a little more, Toshinori just stared at her though. Inko of course took notice of that and frowned a little as she was about to say something Toshinori said something that had surprised the both of them. "You have such a cute laugh."

After that, the room went silent. It was so quiet that one could hear a pin drop somewhere in the next apartment. Inko's face went pink, but Toshinori's face went bright red. "Ah! I'm sorry! I don't know why I said that! I mean it's true that you have a cute laugh but I didn't mean to just out and say that I'm so sorry!"

Inko started to laugh, the blonde haired man just frowned a little as Inko started to laugh at him. Looking up at the confused man, Inko covered her mouth, muffling her laughter as she tried to get herself to calm down. "I'm sorry." She said, giggling a little longer before taking a deep breath, only to laugh again, tears forming at the corner of her eyes from laughing so hard. Arms wrapped around her stomach as she bent forward. It was then that Toshinori had joined in on her laughter as well.

It seemed that any tension that either one of them had felt before that moment had faded, and they could both just relax now and enjoy themselves.

"I'm sorry Toshinori, I didn't mean to laugh at you but, your reaction to what you said…"

"It's okay, but… I don't know why that slipped out."

"Did you mean it though?"

"Of course."

"Then that's why."

Toshinori smiled a little before walking in to set their food on the counter. He had been to Inko's a few times so he had at least known where her kitchen table was. Though he didn't know where her utensils were so that was where he had to get the green haired woman's help in that department. "So, what did you do today Inko?" asked Toshinori.

"Well, there were a lot of heroes in the café lately. I don't know why but I won't complain. I think it was either you or All Might that spread the word about my 'amazing tea and treats' wasn't it?" Inko said with a giggle.

"You got me, I did help out, can't speak for All Might but I think he has." Toshinori said with a small nervous chuckle. Inko wasn't sure why he laughed like that but she wasn't going to complain. It got her business going and she was rather happy with it either way. "So, what do you wanna watch?" asked Toshinori.

"Oh, you go pick. I'll go get everything set up in the kitchen and bring it out for us alright? Movies are by the TV." Inko said with a smile before making her way over to the kitchen. Toshinori of course made his way to the living room as he started to look through what movie they should watch. Inko of course, was distracted by getting the tea ready as she hummed softly under her breath.

It was nice, having company over just to watch movies and eat good food. Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman wondered how her life had changed so much. It seemed that since the tall blonde entered her life. Sure, she still had problems with her past but she was still enjoying her life. Toshinori had helped her a great deal and she couldn't help the small soft smile that grew on her face.

He was such an amazing man that was for sure, he came to her rescue, twice thus far. Heck, he even let her run her fingers through his hair and it made her happy. Reaching up, Inko placed her hand over her chest, feeling it beating quickly as she thought about Toshinori even though he was only in the other room. What was wrong with her? Why was it beating so quickly right now and… was her face warm?

Shaking her head, Inko took a few deep calming breaths as she set the cups of tea on a tray and placed the little take out bag on the tray as she carried it to the living room so they could watch movies and enjoy some good food and tea. "Okay, I hope you like the tea I picked for tonight, what do you want to watch?"

"How about this?" Toshinori said as he held up a DVD of Stay Wars. Inko stared with wide eyes as her face went a deep red.

"I… I… um… are you sure you want to watch that?" Inko said, feeling a little nervous of anyone knowing that she had those movies.

"Sure, I loved these movies growing up in the states. It was one of the many movies I could enjoy with… with…" Toshinori frowned at that. Inko couldn't help but wonder what was going on in his head. Why did he look so confused about who he saw the movies with? Tilting her head, she made her way over to the blonde, setting the tray down before making her way over to the still confused stuttering man. "Who was it that I saw these with?" Toshinori asked, not expecting any kind of answer.

"How about we make new memories of who you saw these with?" Inko said softly, a small smile on her face. Toshinori just stared at her with confused blue eyes only to smile softly at her. Inko couldn't help but smile at him, they put in one of the movies and decided to make it a Star Wars night.

Once the DVD was in, Inko took a seat on the couch and Toshinori sat to her right. Both just sat in silence and watched the movies as they ate their dinner. Of course, Inko got up after the first few movies to get the desserts and brought them out on a tray much like the tea. OF course before she could even get the tray down, Inko noticed how Toshinori quickly grabbed a few cupcakes that she had prepared and started to eat them with a happy look on his face.

It was cute.

Inko blushed at her own thoughts before turning her attention back to the movie that was currently playing. It was rather amazing really, that they both would like something so dorky but, that also made her rather happy in the first place. Smiling as she curled up against Toshinori, not really aware that she had done so in the first place.

They had gotten to the part where Luke Skywalker had managed to save the princess from Darth Vader and were making a break for it. Though sadly they had lost Obi-Wan and that still saddened her a great deal. Why was it that they had to loose such a beloved teacher character like that so early? Yeah he still made appearances other another movie but it was still sad in a way.

"Who is your favourite Toshinori?" asked Inko.

Though she didn't get any kind of answer, it confused her that he didn't say anything though before she could even ask anything, she felt a weight resting atop of her head. Blinking, she looked up as best as she could and saw that the blonde was asleep. His head resting atop of hers as he just seemed to snooze away.

Inko couldn't help but blush at that. He was so close to her, she could feel his breath against the top of her head as he breathed in and out. Inko knew that she should move and let him lay down but, he looked so peaceful. While awake, he always looked so energized and ready to take on the world. Ready to help those in need which she had learned first hand that he would do what he could to help those who needed it.

Not having the heart to wake him, Inko just settled for closing her eyes and just drifting away into dream land herself. Yeah, this was good enough for her…

* * *

Yawning softly, Inko reached up and started to rub at her eyes, or at least she had attempted too. Blinking slowly, she looked around and noticed that she was still in her living room. Laying down on the couch but that wasn't what alerted her to something else. She noticed that that something was holding onto her as she had slept. Blinking in shock, she turned her head as best as she could and saw that Toshinori was indeed, asleep but he was holding onto her.

Sometime during the night, he must have shifted in his sleep and pulled Inko down with him as he held onto her tightly. Not enough to hurt her, but enough that she couldn't really get up from her spot on the couch to go clean up the dishes that had been dirtied in the night from their movie binge.

Toshinori let out a soft sigh as he nuzzled Inko's hair, letting out a mumbled sound that she couldn't really figure out what it was that he had even said in the first place. Inko couldn't help but frown a little as she turned to look at the wall clock. It was ten in the morning. Thank god it was her day off or she'd be in trouble though Toshinori she wasn't sure if he had to work today.

But, she also couldn't wake him up at the same time. What could she do to get out of his arms without this being any more awkward than it already was? No, there was no way that this could be any more awkward than it already was.

Suddenly, she felt Toshinori tighten his hold a little on Inko, his nose moving from her hair to the back of her neck causing her to shiver. God, why did this have to get so weird right now? Shaking her head, hoping to move his nose from her neck back to her head. "So warm…" Mumbled Toshinori, causing her to blush darkly. It never struck her that a man like Toshinori was a cuddler, did he only cuddle things that were warm or was it something else? Looking up once more, she saw that he had a small smile on his face.

It broke her heart that she may have to wake him up at this rate.

Inko squirmed a little in his hold, he groaned and just tightened his hold around her a little more. Mumbling things under his breath that she just couldn't really understand. Well, other than her being 'so warm' that would make it out past his lips here and there.

God, what could she do that would wake him up? Her squirming wasn't doing anything and she couldn't really move her arms since he had them pretty much pinned down. Hm, she wasn't panicking now that she thought about it. Maybe because with Hisashi did, it was because she knew he was going to hurt her. With Toshinori, she knew it was because he cared about her and wasn't going to hurt her. A small smile graced her lips at the thought of that but, she couldn't let this carry on as it was right now.

Looking back up at Toshinori, she said "Toshinori? Can you wake up please?" She got no responds from him, it just seemed as if he was still deep asleep. Having a nice dream, what was he dreaming about in the first place? Shaking her head a little, the young woman struggled to turn around, which took some well-timed maneuvering before she finally managed to face the blonde. He frowned a bit in his sleep, only to bury his face against her neck causing Inko to squeak.

Reaching up, she ran her fingers through the blonde man's hair, hoping that would make him wake up. Well, that didn't really wake him, he only leaned into her touch as he let out a soft dreamy sigh. Inko frowned a little more. God, how hard was it to wake up the man in the first place?

Shaking her head, her hair flaying about as a few strands almost seemed to tickle his nose. Toshinori sniffled a bit as he tried not to sneeze. Reaching up, the young woman cupped his cheek against her palm as she said "Toshinori? Can you wake up? Please?"

He groaned a little yet hadn't opened his eyes. Inko sighed softly as started to poke at his cheeks, hoping that would wake up. It was something that she had done to her older brother when she was younger and it had worked all the time. Though of course he was always mad about it in the end anyway. Though she figured Toshinori wasn't one to be mad about such small things anyway though he may wake up horrified when he sees that he had been sleeping, cuddled up against Inko all night.

Groaning a little, Toshinori rubbed at his eyes before he slowly blinked them open. Sleep clouded blue eyes stared at Inko. They seemed dimmed from sleep, he just stared at her for a brief moment before mumbling "Morning Inko." He closed his eyes, only for them to snap open and stare at Inko with now wide alert eyes. "Oh god!" He shouted, suddenly jumping up as he released Inko from his grip… and fall onto the floor. "Ow!" He shouted, rubbing the back of his head and groaned.

"Are you alright?!" Inko said with concern, her green eyes staring at him with concern.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have held you like that! It was improper of me and I'm sorry!" Toshinori said, his face bright red before he managed to sit up on the floor, unable to look up at her. Inko couldn't help but frown a little at him. It wasn't that she hated the feeling of him holding onto her, if she dare say it? She rather enjoyed it, she felt safe, comforted in his embrace but she couldn't bare herself to even say it.

Closing her eyes, the young woman knew that she had to get his mind off of it. Maybe if she gave him a nickname, it would confuse him and well, maybe it would distract him. If she was honest about it, she had wanted to give him a nickname for a while, since sometimes when she was being silly around Mitsuki, she would call her 'Suki-chan' like when they were children. But what could she call Toshinori- wait…

"It's okay Nori." Inko said with a smile.

His reaction?

Toshinori froze, his eyes wide as he looked up at her. Eyes unseeing, skin pale as he just seemed to stare right through her. Had he gotten lost in his own memories? What happened to have caused this kind of reaction? Was the nickname 'Nori' bad to him? Did he hate it or was it something more?

"D… Do… Don't… call me that please…" Toshinori managed to stutter out, his body started to tremble, Inko reacted quickly and rushed to him and held onto him. His body wouldn't stop shaking, he was shaking like a leaf at this point. Inko knew that she had to do something, he's helped her so much and now it seemed like he needed help. Her help.

"Wait here." Inko whispered gently before rushing to her kitchen and started to make some tea. Thanks to her anxiety from her time with Hisashi, she had to make up some kind of tea that would help her relax after an attack. Once she had made the tea, Inko made her way over to Toshinori and set the tea down on the table. "Toshinori, come on… up you go!" Inko said as she helped the still shaking man onto the couch.

Once she was sure that he was settled, she grabbed the cup of tea and gentle handed it to him. "Here, drink this. It should help you relax. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to cause you distress like this."

Toshinori shook his head slowly before he sipped at the tea. His eyes still seemed lost, scared and afraid. But there was a small spark there so that meant that he was still there. "It… it's okay. I… I don't like people calling me 'Nori'. I don't know why though." He managed to get out, his voice still sounding shaky as he spoke. He took a few more sips, body still trembling though not as badly. "I prefer being called 'Toshi' by friends."

Oh, well, maybe that should have been her first choice but she couldn't help but agree with him. If this was his reaction to being called 'Nori' then so be it. "Okay Toshi." Inko whispered softly. He looked at her, his face tinted pink, the only real colour that was on his face right now. His skin was still far too pale but, for now all she could do was help him through this much like how he had helped her so many times. "Just relax okay Toshi? I think it's time that I start to take care of you, like how you have taken care of me." Inko said with a small smile on her face.

Toshinori blinked at her slowly, his eyes almost seeming to glow like lightening before he gave her a small smile. "Thank you Inko…" Whispered the blonde, just going back to drinking his tea and of course, the awkward moment of him holding her while asleep disappeared for the moment.

* * *

 **hey everyone, I'm thinking that once this story is done do you want a sequel I do have an idea but not fully sure if I should go through with it since I don't know if it'll be a full blown story, it'll be of Toshinori being in an accident sometime after Izuku is born but he has memory loss of who he is. Otherwise, I do have another story idea in my mind but have to plan that out and finish some other stories I'm working on, the story is gonna be similar to Lion King but in the world of MY Hero Academia what do you think? let me know!**


	7. First Attack

_"Nori! Nori why didn't you save me! Why did you…." Shouted a voice, Toshinori tried to run to the voice. Tried to figure out who it was that had yelled out to him. Why was it that he just couldn't find her? This voice sounded so familiar to him but he just couldn't find this voice. He knew that it was a girl, a young girl at that. Maybe someone from his past?_

 _Running further and further into the darkness, Toshinori frowned as he tried to find her. Tried to think of a way that he could move faster, faster than he had ever moved before but his power wouldn't allow it. It seemed that while he was here, his power was useless._

 _"Damn it!" shouted Toshinori as he tried to run faster and faster._

 _"Nori!"_

 _Toshinori stared ahead, there stood a figure. It seemed that he had managed to arrive and for that he was thankful. Making his way over to her, he said "Don't worry, I'm here now. Are you alright?" He reached out, his hand shaking as he felt his heart pounding in his ears. God, why was he so scared? Gulping a bit, he managed to place a hand on her shoulder asking "Please, say something."_

 _"Why did you…" she whispered, only to turn around, her eyes gone, hair all but shaved off and covered and drenched in blood. Blood pooling out of her mouth, nose, and eye sockets._

 _Toshinori screamed bloody murder._

Toshinori screamed as he shot up in bed, breathing deeply as he looked around wildly. Seeing that he was in his apartment, drenched in sweat. "Oh god." He mumbled, his knees drawn to his chest and his elbows resting on his legs as he held his head. Oh god, what a nightmare. Was it caused when Inko called him 'Nori'? He shuddered just thinking the name.

Whoever that girl was, she called him Nori that much he knew. Her voice sounded so familiar but at the same time he couldn't think as to why. Who was she? What happened to her and… how did he know her? Shaking a little more, Toshinori wiped at his forehead, hoping that he could calm himself down. Sure, he knew that Inko hadn't meant to cause him distress at her home, but it seemed that it still bothered him as he did have that nightmare.

God, that girl was scary though, the way blood just seemed to pour out of her, it had seemed like the life had just been drained out of her and that was just scary and creepy. Trembling a little more, Toshinori trembled all the more, his eyes wide as he felt tears starting to build up. Blinking a little, the blonde man reached up and touched just under his eye, feeling the tears spilling over. "Why am I crying?" He asked, not expecting to get any kind of answer.

Shaking his head, the young man looked at the time and saw that it was rather early. He still had some time before Inko opened up the café so he may as well kill some time and shower. Maybe a nice shower will wash away the memories of the nightmare. God, when was the last time that he had a nightmare like that? Maybe almost six years ago? Maybe a little longer than that…

Maybe he should call his aunt later, maybe she knows what is going on. Assuming that she will tell him anything in the first place. Then again, now that he thought about it he hadn't really seen his aunt either, the last time she was here was when he woke up in the hospital. That was around six years ago if he remembered correctly.

Shaking his head, the young man pushed himself out of his bed and made his way to his bathroom, only to stare at his bed with a frown. "I'll change the sheets after I shower." He mumbled before making his way to the shower, only to stop when his phone chimed. Tilting his head he walked over to his nightstand and picked up his cellphone and looked it over.

A text from Inko.

 _Hi Toshi! I was still worried about you and wanted to check up on you. If you're not come by the shop if you can and I'll make you some of that tea. You seemed to like it yesterday._

Toshinori couldn't help but smile gently at that. How was it that this woman knew what he would love to have or when he needed to talk too? Or, maybe it was because she just seemed to know him and yet they hadn't known each other that long. Letting out a soft sigh, he sent back a quick text.

 _I'll try to drop by, don't worry about me Inko. If I can, I'll drop by if I can. If not drop by tomorrow if you want._ he then typed in his address for Inko, it would be rather odd for her to come to his apartment since he had been to hers so many times before in the past but, well he knew that it would be nice to treat her to something for a change instead of him just going to her place and her treating him to something nice.

He chuckled at the thought, her making food for him or lots of snacks and treats. But, now he could do that for her, maybe cook her some American food for a change to get her to try it out. It was bound to be a change for her though but he hoped that it would be a nice one at that.

Setting the phone down, only for it to chime once again. Frowning he as he checked the message only to smile.

 _That would be lovely, would you like me to bring anything?_

 _Just bring some of your snacks if you want. Otherwise it's my time to treat you to a cooked meal!_

 _Okay Toshi, I'll see you then, or today whichever is first!_ she had ended it with a smiley face. Toshinori couldn't help but smile at her. Setting his phone down he went to work on getting ready for the day, hoping that the memories of that nightmare would fade from him.

Yet, the nightmare still lingers in the depths of his mind, not completely forgotten with some memories but still not fully remembered.

Inko sighed softly as she got to work, it still bothered her that she had caused Toshinori such distress. Sure, she hadn't meant to do that to him, but it still bothered her none the less. She had sent a text to him, hoping that he was okay though he seemed fine over text but, she had this nagging feeling in the back of her head that he was still bothered by the nickname.

Frowning a little, the young woman couldn't help but sigh softly as she started to pull toward her packs of tea bags so she could make a customer's tea for them. "Excuse me, are you Midoriya-Inko?" asked a voice, causing her to frown as she turned and stared at two men.

One looked rather lively with his blonde hair slicked upward and wearing leather clothes and… was that a speaker around his throat? Next to him was a man just a little shorter than him, looking anything but awake as he stood next to the blonde haired man. She remembered him, he comes in maybe a couple times a week, he would always come because she would make cat shaped treats for him. Why does he always wear black and that strange scarf of his anyway? "Yes, who are you?" asked Inko with a tilt of her head.

"Ah, we're friends with Toshinori! We have heard so much about you, we can see why he's your friend." Said the blonde with a big smile on his face.

"Hizashi, calm down. You're going to scare her." Said the raven haired man, though he noticed Inko flinch at the name. Sure, it wasn't Hisashi, but it was still one letter off. "Are you alright?" He asked with concern.

"Yes, I'm sorry. Um, if I may ask who are you though? How do you know Toshinori?" asked Inko with a frown on her face.

"Ah, I'm so sorry! How rude of me! I'm Yamada Hizashi, and this is my boyfriend Aizawa Shouta. We've known Toshi since high school and well, he's started telling us that he made a friend who owned a café." Hizashi said with a smile on his face.

"I already knew you worked here since you know when I come in and have cat shaped treats for me." Shouta calmly said, blinking rather lazily at his boyfriend only to turn to Inko. "May I have some cookies with my usual tea please?"

"Yes, of course, and you?" Inko said as she turned to stare at the rather excitable blonde.

"Oh, whatever you'd recommend." Hizashi said with a smile on his face.

Inko smiled a little, he seemed nice so that made things a little easier. If Toshinori was their friend then they had to be good people. Making her smile a little as she got their tea and treats ready. Hizashi had a big grin on his face, how could anyone find him anything but happy and a people person? How did he ever get with someone like Shouta? He looked like he was the total opposite… then again opposites did attract.

"Thank you Midoriya-san." Hizashi said with a smile on his face.

"Please, you can call me Inko if you like." Inko said with a smile on her face.

"Are you sure?" asked Hizashi, tilting his head a little to the side.

"Of course, if you are Toshi's friends then you can use my first name."

Hizashi's eyes widened for a moment, it made her wonder what it was that caused that reaction out of the blonde. Just as Inko was about to ask if he was okay, he said "He's letting you call him Toshi?" At her nod, he just grinned all the more, and started to chuckle at some kind of hidden joke. Inko turned to stare at Shouta and saw him just give a bored shrug before paying for their orders and turned to his boyfriend, his scarf unraveling and wrapped itself around Hizashi and started to drag him away to the dining area.

Okay, so the scarf had uses other than to keep him warm. Whatever it was, she had no idea and she had a feeling that she didn't want to know what more it could be used for. Her face turned red just thinking about it.

Shaking her head, the young woman went to check on the display cases to make sure if there was anything else that needed to be stocked up on. It was rather odd but ever since the heroes started to come into her shop, they had to restock on snacks and other things rather quickly. Whatever it was that made them come here, she didn't mind. It made her happy either way, business had never been better and for that she was forever thankful to Toshinori's help in making business all the better for her and her workers.

Frowning a little, the young woman saw that a few tables had been cleared up, may as well get to cleaning those while she had some free time. It had been rather busy it was amazing that she could get anything done in the first place. Smiling at the idea of finally being busy, Inko grabbed a spray and a cloth before she started to make her way over toward the empty tables and started to clean them up.

Letting out a soft sigh, she saw that Shouta and Hizashi had gotten a booth that was out of the way, no one would bother them and she saw how they almost seemed to be cuddled up together. It was rather cute, made her smile and hope that she could find love like that. Someone that would love her.

Toshinori's face appeared in her mind as she thought about that. About finding love, it made her blush. Why had she thought about Toshinori while thinking about finding love? It confused her, shaking her head the young woman went back to work.

"Midoriya Inko?" came a voice, it sounded rather familiar to her though she couldn't place her finger on it. Just as she turned around to stare at who had addressed her, Inko stared with wide eyes.

Standing there was a figure wearing a black trench coat, a white brimmed hat that helped keep his appearance from her view. The only thing that she could make out was the eyes that she knew better than anyone. Looking down at his out stretched hand, she saw that he held a gun. Inko backed up, he only cocked the gun and all but snarled her name. Before Inko could think, she heard someone yell out her name, she had thought that it was Toshinori but before she could even process it, all she saw was a flash of red and blue and yellow. Pain rushing through her from her shoulder before she even hit the floor.

People screamed and scurried about as the few heroes that were in the room seemed to try to get order in the café and of course, a few had tried to chase down the man that had shot her.

"Midoriya-san! Are you okay?!" shouted a voice, Inko looked up, her vision blurred from the pain that she felt in her shoulder. She couldn't help but hold onto her shoulder and felt something wet and sticky soaking her palm. Frowning a little, the young woman saw that her shoulder was bleeding. "Midoriya-san?"

Looking up, she saw the concern eyes of All Might looking at her, he was holding her tightly to his chest which had caused her to wince when her shoulder hit his body, staining part of his costume. He mumbled something in another language, it sounded like what Toshinori would say so she wouldn't know what he said. "Don't worry Midoriya-san, everything will be okay." All Might said as he helped her up from the floor and set her on a nearby chair and looked over as he saw Shouta and Hizashi.

"Eraserhead, Present Mic, do you know what happened?" asked All Might. So those were their hero names? Interesting.

"We only saw a man all in black come in. We just thought he was cold since it is starting to get chilly. Then he pointed a gun at Inko and just before we could react here you were." Hizashi said with a frown on his face, he turned his gaze to Inko and noticed that her body was trembling. "Shouta, call an ambulance for Inko, we'll also have the cops show up to question everyone here for a statement."

"Alright." Shouta said as he pulled out a cell from his pants pocket and started to call for an ambulance for Inko.

Inko looked up at all Might and frowned a little, how long had he been here in the first place? When did he get here? She was sure that she heard Toshinori call out her name. Frowning a little, she looked around and didn't see any sign of her friend. "Are you okay Midoriya-san? Do you need anything until help arrives?"

"I'm fine." Inko whispered softly before peeking up at him. "Um… All Might, did you call me Inko before saving me?"

He blushed a little before looking away. "It slipped yes, I mean after all I know your name but believed it was rather improper to call you by your first name yet since we have only known each other a day."

"Well, since you just saved me I believe you have a right to use my first name. I'm letting those two do it since they're Toshi's friends." Inko said with a giggle as she gestured to Shouta and Hizashi. Though she couldn't help but wince in pain as she felt like her shoulder was on fire. The pain was terrible, god why did this have to hurt so damn much in the first place? "All Might, why were you here? Were you just in the area or…"

"I was actually coming in for a cup of tea. It's my break so I thought I'd drop in and well, I saw you about to be shot and saved you." All Might said with a chuckle on his face.

Inko nodded her head, she winced in pain, her whole body was starting to feel the pain and knew that she had to relax and calm down. Her body was killing her and yet it was only her shoulder that was hit with a bullet. "Wait here." All Might said before making his way to the back, she knew that she should have stopped him but knew that he meant well. Though he didn't go far in the back it seemed. He just asked a worker to get some towels, which they grabbed for her right away. Once he had the towels, Inko had one pressed to her shoulder and winced in pain. Though at least the blood wasn't staining her clothes anymore.

"I have a friend coming in, he's a detective so he'll have to talk to you okay?" All Might said, causing Inko to nod slowly. "I'll wait here if it'll make you comfortable."

"Please?" Inko said, tears pooling in her eyes. She already knew who it was that had shot her, and yet she shouldn't have been so surprised but at the same time she couldn't help but be scared. Of all the things to expect from someone, this was the last thing that she had ever expected from anyone in her entire life. Let alone someone that she had claimed to have loved in the first place.

"I think we'll have to take you to the hospital though before he questions you. I'll send him a message to meet you there okay?" Inko nodded her head before letting out a soft yawn, she just laid her head against the hero's side as she tried to think about anything other than the pain. Other than the fact that she had been shot. Anything at all would be great for her right now though it still didn't help her in the least as she couldn't think of anything but…

"All Might? Can you… just talk to me? I don't care what it is, just talk to me please? It'll distract me from the pain." Inko whispered softly, tears spilling down her cheeks.

"Of course my dear." He whispered softly.

Inko had been taken to the hospital where they had managed to patch her up. They had someone remove the bullet from her shoulder and thankfully, they had someone who had a quirk that could heal the wound. Sadly, they couldn't do anything about the ghost pains that she would feel for a few days. Otherwise, Inko was good to head home and rest.

Meanwhile, All Might, of course had stayed with Inko the whole time to make sure she knew that someone she knew was around when the detective arrived.

A tall man walked into the room, he had a kind smile that showed in his black eyes. That was enough to calm Inko down enough for the most part. He wore a long tan overcoat and a matching hat. From what she could make out of his outfit underneath, she saw that he had on a dark suit and black dress shoes and a blue tie. Why was he wearing white gloves?

He looked up and saw All Might and was about to say something until he frowned, closing his mouth. Inko tilted her head to the side before looking up at All Might who was on the other side of her bed and saw that he had his arms folded behind his back. Strange.

"Hello All Might, Midoriya-san. I'll be the detective on this case so I'll be asking you some questions about what happened today and if you can describe who it was that shot you." The detective said with a kind smile. He made his way over to the bed and grabbed one of the free chairs that was in the room before taking a seat and grabbing a pen and note pad. "Now, I'll introduce myself, I am Tsukauchi Naomasa. What happened and what do you remember?" asked the detective.

Inko frowned a little before looking away and covered her shoulder. "I was just working really, just cleaning off some tables when I saw someone walk into the shop. I just thought he was cold, but even then I found it odd that he's wear a trench coat like that." Inko said with a soft sigh before looking over at All Might. She saw his kind smile and he nodded. Telling her to continue with her story. That seemed to have given her courage to keep going.

"What else happened Midoriya-san?" asked Tsukauchi-san.

"Next thing I knew I saw him holding a gun out to shoot me. I went to move and he cocked it, getting ready to shoot me. After that, All Might shouted my name and I won't lie, I thought that it was my friend Toshinori." Inko said, though she saw a confused look on the detective's face before looking over at the hero next to her. He turned his gaze back to Inko and gestured for her to keep going. "I was shot, and saw the man leave during the chaos." Inko said with a shiver.

All Might placed a hand on her shoulder, as if hoping that would be enough to calm her down. It was odd that he was trying to comfort her, though she did find it rather comforting. Looking up at him, seeing his smile reassured her to no end. How could he have such a calming effect on her? It just seemed as if he was always there even though this is their only second meeting. Only two people had this effect and so far that was All Might and Toshinori.

Looking away from him, Inko took a deep breath, hoping to calm down her nerves. "I don't know when or how he came into the café without the heroes that were in there to really notice him but all I knew was that I was terrified. It had been the first time I was truly terrified for my life since I was at the bar."

Inko felt All Might's hand flinch on her shoulder, almost tightening a little but not enough to cause her any serious harm. Frowning, she reached up and gently patted his hand, hoping to get him to relax.

"What do you mean by that Midoriya-san? How are the two of these events connected?" Asked Tsukauchi-san.

Looking up, Inko looked down at her free hand as she let out a soft sigh. "It was over a month ago really, I was at a bar with a friend after breaking up with my boyfriend. She left me alone to use the rest room and my ex showed up. Tried to take me away from the bar until Toshinori came in and saved me. He gave my ex two options, leave or be arrested for pretty much attacking me and misuse of his quirk."

"I see." The detective said as he wrote everything down. Inko felt a little better knowing that someone was going to look into the case, though she couldn't help but wonder what would happen. Would she be in danger again because of this or would she remain safe. Looking up, Inko sighed softly as she felt like she would fall apart again. All of this was stressful. "Now, because of the possibility of another attack, I'll assign a hero to the case. All Might, do you want to take it?"

"Of course." The hero replied without any hesitation.

Inko felt a little better knowing that she had someone she could trust on her case. Though, she couldn't help but wonder more about her safety still. "Will I still be safe though?" Inko asked with a frown on her face.

"I can't be a hundred percent sure Midoriya-san, but I'd advise not to be alone while out and about. Do not answer your door unless you know you had someone coming over and make sure it is them. Otherwise, if you have to go to work, I'd suggest either walking with a friend or take a cab if you don't drive." Inko nodded at that. It made sense, though she couldn't help but wonder what more she could do… "Though, I must ask, do you know who the shooter is?"

"I may not have seen his face but I could never forget those eyes. They haunt me forever in my nightmares and waking moments. It was my ex, Hisashi."


	8. Toshinori's Hidden Talent?

Inko sighed softly as she made her way to Toshinori's apartment. She had decided to listen to the detective since her attack and had taken a cab to get around. At least if she didn't have far to go. Right now, All Might was on her case, or at least helping out with the case and to help ensure her protection in any way that he could. She was grateful, don't get her wrong on that though she couldn't help but wonder what she could do.

Why was Hisashi after her, why did he want her dead? Because she broke up with him? Because she finally had the courage to leave him while she had the chance to do so. Now though it seemed like she was paying the price.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman paid the driver for the fee and made her way to the elevator. Only to see that it was out of service. Fantastic.

Groaning, Inko looked at her phone and saw that Toshinori lived on the eighth floor of the building. Well, that sounded fun, so eight flights of stairs and then she'd be at his apartment. Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman made her way over to the stairs and started her ascend up the stairs.

Just as she started the first step, Inko heard her phone start to ring, causing her to nearly jump out of her own skin as she picked up her phone and looked to see that it was Mitsuki. Smiling a bit, the young woman answered her cell as she said "Hello?"

 _"Inko! Where are you? I thought I'd drop by only to see that you weren't home."_

"I'm sorry Mitsuki, I went to see Toshinori. We had plans today, if you want I can drop by tomorrow if you want." Inko said, feeling bad that she hadn't spent any time with her friend lately. It just seemed that she had been spending most of her time either with Toshinori or at work. Everything that had been happening had taken its toll on her lately that it had bothered her a great deal. Even to the point that she was starting to turn into the person that Hisashi wanted her to be.

 _"No worries! I'd rather you spend time with him than anyone else if not with me. I know how delicate everything had been lately. I heard about the shooting… are you okay?"_ Mitsuki sounded concern, Inko knew that much. Her friend must have heard about it from the news, bound to have been on the TV since a hero had saved her life.

"I'm fine. I was saved, that's all that matters to me." Inko said with a soft smile. "All Might was able to jump in and had pretty much tackled me to the floor, only got a bullet to the shoulder. It hurt a lot, but All Might kept my mind busy, just talking to me about well… anything really."

 _"You sound like you have feelings for him."_

Inko stopped dead in her tracks before shaking her head. "How can I like someone I just met! I've only met All Might twice, I've known Toshi a lot longer than All Might-"

 _"Oh, it's Toshi now huh?"_ Mitsuki said with a giggle.

"Mitsuki!"

 _"Inko, do you really want me to be honest on this or just want me to keep teasing?"_ asked Mitsuki, all joking aside.

"Please," Inko whispered softly, honestly she didn't really know what she felt for either man.

 _"Answer me this, with either of them does your heart beat quickly?"_

"Yes."

 _"Do you feel a great connection to them as if wondering where they have been your entire life, and you feel happy. As if up until that moment in your life you never knew what true happiness was?"_

"I… Yes…"

 _"Do you want to see them smile and always feel safe in their presents?"_

"I do yes."

 _"Inko, you love both of them."_

"But how is that even possible? How can you love two people? It just doesn't add up, how can I love both Toshi and All Might? I've known Toshi longer and All Might well… he's saved me once and has been so kind to me."

Mitsuki hummed on her end, as if she was trying to find the right answer. Maybe even she didn't know what the answer was, for Mitsuki has and is still with the man of her dreams so she wouldn't know what it was like to be in love with two people at the same time. _"Well, Yagi, I believe is good for you Inko. He was there when Hisashi tried to attack you at the bar. Not to mention, he has been there ever since, so you would feel a connection to him, as for All Might well, whatever he's said to you before must have had some kind of impact on you as well."_ Could that be true? Could she love two men just from either such an impact from All Might and just because Toshinori had been so kind to her since the moment they met?

Her heart felt rather confused but at the same time it didn't. It was just telling her to love them, to love either of them the same but why?

 _"Inko, I'm your friend and I care. Whoever you choose I'll stand by your choice, but just let me know if either one of them treat you poorly because I'll find a way to kick their ass!"_ Mitsuki threatened, which made Inko giggle a little. _"Anyway, I won't keep you from your date with Yagi, I'm sure he has big things planned for the both of you right now anyway."_

"Mitsuki it isn't a date."

 _"That's what they all say Inko. Anyway, use protection!"_ Mitsuki shouted before hanging up, leaving a blushing Inko to her own thoughts. Sometimes her friend was so embarrassing, she almost wondered how her boyfriend put up with that. Letting out a soft sigh, Inko looked up and saw that she was on the eighth floor of the building.

Walking down the hall, she looked at the numbers on the door, humming to herself as she did so until she reached Toshinori's door and smiled a bit. Just as she was about to knock, she heard music playing behind the door. Tilting her head to the side, she placed her ear on the door and heard the music, it was wonderful, no doubt about that but it was a song that she didn't think she's heard before.

Knocking, Inko hoped that Toshinori would hear her, though it seemed that he couldn't hear her at all. Letting out a soft sigh, she turned the knob and smiled a bit seeing that it was unlocked. He must have forgotten to lock it back up when he got home. Walking in and closing the door behind her, Inko removed her shoes before walking down the hall. Following the sound of the music until she hit the end of the hallway, and to the living room.

What she saw surprised her.

There, standing in the middle of the living room, Inko saw Toshinori in a red muscle shirt and a pair of black shorts. He held onto a guitar just strumming away at the strings. Inko was about to say something until she saw a pair of headphones on his ears, he must be playing along to the song that was playing through the wireless headphones.

 _Looking back at the beginning of this  
And how life was  
Just you and me and love and all of our friends  
Living life like an ocean  
But now the currents slowly pulling me down  
It's getting harder to breathe  
It won't be too long and I'll be going under  
Can you save me from this_

Inko could only blink in shock and surprise. Toshinori could sing? Okay she knew that he had a way with words and was fun to hang around but he could _sing?!_ She saw that his eyes were closed as if he was visualising the words in his mind as he played along to the song as it played. Man, he could even play the guitar very well. Why didn't he ever mention this before?

 _'Cause it's not my time,  
I'm not going  
There's a fear in me  
It's not showing  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know  
Oh, I won't go_

Sure, she couldn't really understand a word he was saying, must be a song from where he was from. Tilting her head, she saw that his left foot was tapping along to the beat as he played, throwing his head back at the start of the verse. It seemed that he was allowing his body to feel the music as he played it. Looking around, she tried to find a place to sit and smiled when she saw a seat where she could at least keep staring at him from the side, not wanting to be in his line of sight in case he saw her and stopped. Taking her seat, the young woman set a bag aside that held onto some treats that she made and had promised to bring to go along with dinner.

 _I look ahead to all the plans that we made  
And the dreams that we had  
I'm in a world that tries to take 'em away  
Oh, but I'm taking 'em back  
All this time I've just been to blind to understand  
What should matter to me  
My friend, this life we live  
Is not what we have, it's what we believe_

His foot still tapped to the beat, his body swaying side to side as he played along. Inko couldn't help but smile softly, well if what Mitsuki said was true. About her loving Toshinori then she felt like that only grew more. How could it be that she had grown to love someone in such a short about of time? Then again, it wasn't like he would have loved her in the first place. She was nothing, or at least wouldn't be anything like that to him. Or even All Might even though he said that any man would be lucky to have her. Didn't mean that he would be one of them.

 _It's not my time  
I'm not going  
There's a fear in me  
It's not showing  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know_

Stomping his foot on the ground, Toshinori threw his head back again, only to counter clock-wise turn his head back and hunched forward as he strummed his guitar to the beat. Inko wondered how long it took him to learn how to play a guitar. When did he learn, and why didn't he ever mention knowing how to play a guitar before. Did he hate the idea of knowing? Was he forced or was it something more than that?

 _But, it's not my time  
I'm not going  
There's a fear in me  
Now I know that  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know_

 _Oh, but I won't go  
I won't go_

Shaking his head, Toshinori seemed more relaxed as he played his guitar. His fingers even seemed a little more relaxed as he played his guitar, even during what she would guess to be a solo. Toshinori tilted his head side to side as Inko heard a soft cracking sound heard. Oh, that must have been because his neck was stiff. Tilting her head, the young woman wondered if he would teach her, that would be a neat thing to know and then maybe they could play guitar together.

 _There might be more than you believe  
(There might be more than you believe)  
There might be more than you can see_

Spinning on his heels, Toshinori for a brief moment faced her, though his eyes remained closed as he played. Now he bobbed the guitar up and down as he played along, as if the bobbing motion was now tapping to the beat. In a way it was rather cute how he almost seemed to dance along with the music, playing along with it. It was adorable and she couldn't help but giggle a little at seeing such a cute motion.

 _But, it's not my time  
There's a fear in me  
It's not showing  
Now I know that  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know_

Stomping his foot on the ground, Inko noticed that Toshinori opened his eyes a crack, though he still didn't seem to notice her as of yet.

 _But, it's not my time  
I'm not going  
There's a will in me  
Now its gonna show  
This could be the end of me  
And everything I know_

Toshinori took a deep breath, as if calming himself. Inko noticed that his eyes had closed for a moment once again. Still, he had no idea that she was here. Then again she had pretty much been quiet the whole time, not wanting to interrupt the man as he played the song. Though, she still wanted to know what it was he was saying though the song was most likely in English rather than Japanese.

 _There might be more than you believe  
(There might be more than you believe)  
There might be more than you can see_

Once the song was done, Toshinori took a deep breath before walking over to a stand that Inko noticed was in the corner, lifted the guitar strap over and off his shoulder before setting the instrument on its stand. After that, he turned to make his way over to his laptop so he could remove his headphones, only to blink a few times and slowly turn his head and stare at Inko with wide eyes.

"Inko!? How long were you there?!" Toshinori said with shock, his face turning red and his body started to shake. Not from fear but from shock.

"I arrived I guess when you started to play. You left your door unlocked." She heard him say something in English, most likely a curse at him forgetting to lock his door. "And well, I didn't want to interrupt you so, I listened and well…" Blushing a little, Inko added "I really liked it. I mean, sure I know I didn't understand what it was that you were saying but you play and sing beautifully."

Toshinori blushed all the more before he looked away, rubbing the back of his neck. "Really?" He asked, his face still tinted pink. Did he really hate playing in front of people?

"Of course! Why didn't you ever mentioned that you could play?" asked Inko with a tilt of her head.

"To be honest, I don't really tell a lot of people. Only people who know are Hizashi and Shouta. But that's because I've known them since I moved here." Toshinori said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I just don't like playing in front of people, and it makes me nervous."

"Will you… ever play for me?" asked Inko shyly.

Toshinori blinked as he stares at her, his blue eyes blinking rapidly at her as if he hadn't heard her right. Inko wondered if he thought that her request was silly, stupid maybe. Of course he wouldn't say yes since he wasn't comfortable playing in front of people as it was, playing for her was going to be too much for him to do. Her request was stupid and he would just say no with an angry look on his face-

"Sure. Just you though." Toshinori said suddenly.

Huh? "Really?" Inko said, her eyes wide in shock.

"Sure I mean… I'd rather it was you I guess. I mean, I'm still nervous playing in front of people but… maybe so long as you're quiet like you were? It may not bother me." Toshinori said with a small smile on his face.

Inko smiled before getting up and all but tackled him in a hug. Toshinori yelped in shock as they both fell to the ground. Toshinori groaned from the surprise only to blink up at Inko. Inko blinked and blushed at her actions and was about to pull herself off only to yelp in surprise as Toshinori held onto Inko and just chuckled at her. "It's nice to see that you've gotten over some of your shyness around me. Or at the very least more lively compared to when I first met you."

Inko blushed a little more before looking away. Her mind kept telling her to take the moment while she had it. To use this moment to just hurry up and kiss him but… she couldn't do it. No, there was no way that she could do this. Smiling at him, Inko said "It's because of you, you know that Toshi. Now, I think you promised me something to eat?"

Toshinori chuckled, getting himself up and of course helping Inko up as well. "Do you want anything to drink while I cook?" He asked.

"Some water sounds good for now." Inko said with a smile on her face.

"Alright, coming up." He made his way to the kitchen, Inko couldn't help but watch as he walked off. She couldn't believe that she had wanted to kiss him. Was she even ready for such a thing in the first place? Frowning in confusion, Inko couldn't help but sigh softly. Her body told her to kiss Toshinori, but her heart said that she wasn't ready for such a thing yet. Not while she was so confused about the whole thing. That she was in love with two people and it bothered her a great deal. What was she going to do about this?

Well, what did she know about this whole thing?

First, she seemed to have feelings for Toshinori, maybe even love.

Secondly, she may have feelings for all Might, though couldn't be sure if that was love as well. Seeing as how she had only met him twice and yes, he had helped her though she just couldn't even be sure if he would ever even consider that he had any kind of feelings for her in the first place. Sighing softly, Inko didn't think she had any real answers, and didn't think she'd have them today.

"Here you go Inko." The green haired woman looked up and smiled at her friend. Accepting the glass of water and sighed softly in content. Sipping away though, taking one last glance at Toshinori, seeing him walk away before she could say 'thank you' to him and frowned. Did she love him?

 _'I do… I do love him but he'll never love me…'_


	9. Heart's Realization

Inko sighed softly as she made her way over to Mitsuki's apartment. As she had promised, she had made plans with her best friend to chat. Plus, Mitsuki wanted to know what was going on with her, Toshinori and All Might. It was rather confusing, her heart itself was confused but at the same time, it wasn't. Holding a hand right over her heart, Inko couldn't help but sigh. Why did this have to be so confusing?

Shaking her head, the young woman reached up and knocked on the door. Waiting for Mitsuki to open the door.

"Inko!" Mitsuki said with a bright smile on her face as she opened the door. Hugging each other, Mitsuki pulled back as she said "Come in, I made some tea."

"Alright." Inko said with a giggle before walking into the little apartment. Though Mitsuki had told her many times that this was until she could finish her internship as a lawyer then they would see what happens afterwards. Inko of course nodded at that.

"Now Inko, what is going on with you and your two lovers?" asked Mitsuki, teasing out of her voice and rather serious.

Inko sighed softly as she sat down on the couch in the living room. Looking on ahead, as if she wasn't really seeing anything, Inko tried to think on what she could really say to her friend. "Well, Toshi made me dinner the other night. Made me some burgers and fries and well, it was good." Mitsuki hummed a little in understanding. "He also sings and plays guitar though he doesn't like to play in front of other people. Yet, he said he'd be willing to play for me."

"Interesting… what else?"

"Well, he um… well one night we were watching movies and he… fell asleep, his head on mine and then I fell asleep." Inko turned to Mitsuki and frowned as her friend made a 'go on' gesture. "I woke up to him cuddling me."

"Oh my god!" Mitsuki stared with wide happy eyes as she clapped her hands excitably and was pretty much bouncing in her seat. "What else?"

"Well, when I did manage to wake him up he fell off the couch."

"He must have been surprised. Though did you hate it?"

"No…"

"Did you love it?"

"Yes… I felt warm and safe."

"You love him for sure." Mitsuki said with a giggle. "At least, this confirms it from what you told me last week." Inko sighed, really starting to regret telling her friend anything about the time she spent with Toshinori. "Now, tell me what you feel with All Might?"

"Honestly, I feel like I'm just loving the fact that he's a hero." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"I'll be the judge of that." Mitsuki said with a smile.

Inko sighed softly and tried to think of all the things that All Might had done thus far. Frowning in deep thought, Inko tilted her head left and right before finally coming up with the right words. "Well, he's spoken to me on how I shouldn't look down on my looks. That any guy would be lucky to have me in his life. That I also shouldn't think of my past if it hurts me and only think on the happy memories I have."

"He's right on that."

"He even made a wish that I would find someone to love me and who I would love."

"Ooooh."

"Then after the shooting well, he stayed with me like I told you, just talking to me to keep my mind off of the pain. He's a kind man, has a good heart and wants to help the world."

"You love him."

"Huh?"

Mitsuki leaned back in her seat as she stared at her friend. "Inko," She began, god Inko would believe that Mitsuki would be a good lawyer with the way she could stare you down like that. "You didn't fall for him because of his looks, but because of his intentions. He's spoken to you, helped you through the moments that you seem to get where you think back on the negative things that happened in your past. And, was pretty much telling you that you are a beautiful woman."

"He called me that at the gala." Inko cut in.

"Even better! You love him and Yagi, that much is obvious but, I can't say who you should choose, that is up to you." Mitsuki calmly said.

Inko sighed softly, of course it had to be something like this. She had to love two separate men and now that she knew this she would have to choose. But the question is, did either of them even love her in the first place? Shaking her head, the young woman looked up only to see that her ash blonde friend had already taken off. Most likely to get the tea ready so they would just relax and enjoy each other's company. Though, what was she to do in the first place? How could she be sure that either of them even loved her in the first place?

Who was the better option?

Maybe it was Toshinori, she had known him a lot longer, though that also assumed that he felt the same for her. _'I highly doubt it…'_ Inko thought to herself before rubbing her forehead. Why did this whole thing have to be so confusing? Why did it have to be this? Have to be that the whole thing that she had to fall in love with two men that she could never have in the first place?

 _'Maybe Hisashi was right, I can't get anyone to love me.'_ she thought to herself, only to slap her cheeks to knock that train of thought out of her mind. She couldn't allow herself to be lost in those thoughts again, that was how she ended up with Hisashi for five years. He talked down to her all that time and it had sunk into her mind like a sponge, she couldn't allow that to happen to her again.

"Inko, you okay?" asked Mitsuki.

"I'm fine, sorry. I'm just thinking really." Inko said with a small smile.

"Okay." Mitsuki said with a concern frown on her face.

"You don't have to worry about me." Inko said with a soft smile on her face.

"Look, only thing I can suggest is that when you are ready, you just tell one of them you have feelings for them. Don't push yourself to do anything, just tell him when you are ready." Mitsuki said as she sat down, it seemed that she was going to let the teasing move aside for this. Had this really been bothering her since the shooting or was it something more? "Inko, just know that I don't care who you choose, either way, one of them will make you happy or they should unless they want to feel my wrath."

"One of them is a hero."

"Don't care, I'll still find a way to kick his ass."

Inko just laughed, leave it to Mitsuki that she would find a way to hurt a hero like All Might. Though that would be something she'd be interesting in seeing. What would happen at the very least, though she couldn't be sure about that either. Though, maybe this day was what she needed after all. Just to be out and about with friends, something that her mind had needed for five years which she couldn't have with Hisashi in the picture. Toshinori or All Might, she knew that they would still allow her to be with her friends.

Suddenly, her phone started to go off, Inko frowned a little as she saw it was a message from an employee. _We have a problem at the café, please come as soon as possible._

"I'm sorry Mitsuki, I have to go. We can make plans for next week?"

"Sure, bring Yagi, I'd love to chat with him too."

Inko just laughed and shook her head. As she got up, Inko dialed up for a cab to take her to her café, grabbing her shoes and purse in the process. Once they had it on their way, the young woman hummed a soft tune under her breath and made her way outside. It didn't take long for her cab to arrive and for that she was thankful.

Getting in, telling them where to go Inko pulled out her phone and wondered if she should also make plans with Toshinori as well. She went to shoot him a text, asking him if maybe they could go out to the movies this weekend, just before she could even finish the text though Inko squinted her eyes through the slight glare coming from her side and turned her head.

Her eyes widened as she saw a car heading straight for them, going at high speed. Inko screamed as the car made impact.

The car turning over a few times, glass shattered and spilling everywhere and Inko felt her mind slipping in and out of consciousness as she laid there in the cab.

She had no idea how long she laid there, having no sense of time as she drifted out. Yet, a sound reached her ears, the sound of something ripping. When she opened her eyes, all she could make out was blonde hair and blue eyes looking down at her. The voice, yes it was a man, speaking. "Don't worry I am- Inko? Oh god Inko!" The man said in panic, Inko felt her body being lifted after the seat belt being ripped off of her and being carried in strong arms. She blinked slowly at the man, wondering who he was.

Yet, her mind couldn't process anything, yet her thoughts spoke for her. _'Toshi?'_ Before she knew what was going on her mind went dark.

* * *

Toshinori sat in Inko's hospital room, his elbows resting on his knees and his chin resting on his knuckles. He couldn't help but stare at Inko as she slept. They had managed to remove all the glass from her body and tend to the artery that had been cut. Thankfully, she would live but Toshinori couldn't help but feel like a whole had been ripped into his chest.

 _'I almost lost her today…'_ he felt tears building up in his eyes as he opened his hands and buried his face in them, his body trembling like a leaf at the thought of how close he was to losing her today. God, how could he call himself a hero is he almost lost her? He almost lost Inko, the most important person in his life- wait… why was she more important? Yeah, she's a friend but, shouldn't she be equal with the others? _'I almost lost her, oh dear god I almost lost Inko. I… I… I almost lost my best friend…'_

No, Inko meant more than that, but how much more?

Lifting his head from his hands, Toshinori looked at Inko and saw that she had a few scratches on her body, bandages on her arms and a bandage on her cheek from a shard of glass cutting her. He knew that there were more bandages on her stomach and some on her torso and legs but thanks to the blanket, those were hidden from view.

God, how could he have been stupid, been blind? He had been looking for Hisashi the whole time and yet he almost lost her.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young man tried to keep himself calm, tried to relax but no matter what he just couldn't let this go. He had to do something he had to do something that could help her. Soon, the door opened and in walked Inko's best friend Mitsuki. He was about to say something to her until she beat him to it. "What are you doing here?" asked Mitsuki.

"What?"

"They only called me that much I know of. I'm the only person they call when Inko is in the hospital." Mitsuki narrowed her eyes only to smirk at him. Okay why did that smirk scare him? "Oh, wait never mind I already know. Like I have for a long time now." Wait know what? Mitsuki walked over to Toshinori and crossed her arms at him as she looked down at him. "After all, the only person that I'd trust my friend in is a powerful mighty hero, isn't that right All Might?"

What?!

"How-"

"Oh I've known for a while, I've seen you on TV months before the bar and never forgot your face. Sure, you're appearance may change but the eyes and hair not so much. I just had to picture you with your hair upward and that was that." Damn it.

Toshinori went to stand until Mitsuki held up her hand. "Inko doesn't know by the way. I never told her and I don't plan too. That is for you to decide." Toshinori sighed softly, he was thankful for that though he couldn't help but sigh. "Just know though, my vow still stands. If you hurt my friend I'll kick your ass, I don't care if you're a powerful hero or not." Toshinori nodded his head before leaning in his chair, his hand over his eyes as he took in a deep shaky breath.

"I didn't think I'd ever see the day that someone figured out who I am." Toshinori whispered.

"It was bound to happen either way. Now, I only had enough time to drop in, I was going to go into work after Inko left my apartment." So that was where she was before the accident. "But hearing she was in an accident I was going to call in saying I can't come in depending on Inko's state but… you're here. You'll look after her won't you?"

"I will."

"Good enough for me, but promise me one thing." Mitsuki said with a soft sigh. Seeing Toshinori nod after he removed his hand, she went on. "If you can find out who did this to her, who tried to kill her let me know and I'll file a law suit on them so hard that they'll wish they were never born."

"Of course." Toshinori said with a small smile on his face.

Mitsuki left after that and really, Toshinori was thankful for that. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man leaned more into his seat as he stared at Inko. The oxygen mask was still in place, and he was thankful for that though he couldn't help but wonder how much of this she had heard. Even asleep, it was theorised that people could still hear what was being said. Though even then, he couldn't really be sure.

Pulling out his phone, Toshinori knew that he would need a change of clothes in case she woke up sooner than expected. He was still in his hero costume so that may not have helped much in the first place even though he still hadn't picked a for sure costume design as of yet. This was, after all a new costume and no one had really seen him in it as of yet.

Shooting a text to Hizashi, Toshinori sighed as he pulled the chair closer to Inko's bed, holding her hand as he let out a soft sigh. "Please wake up Inko, please…" Toshinori pleaded, of all the things that had to happen, did it have to be this? Inko didn't deserve this, how much does she had to suffer before she can truly be happy? Letting out a soft sigh, the young man just gazed at her, reaching out with his free hand and moved a few stray strands of her hair aside.

"I'll be here for you Inko, I'll be here for you when you wake up." Toshinori said with a sigh before resting his head on the bed. Everything started to slam into him, not knowing how tired he was until he could finally relax, even though he just couldn't stop the nagging thought in his mind just how close he was today to losing her. God, why did it have to hurt so much and… why did it feel like he had lost something before?

 _Toshinori found himself walking through darkness. He could hear voices around him but he couldn't make out what it was that they were saying. He frowned a little and yelled out a name, a name that he couldn't make out. He couldn't help but frown at that, and it made him feel a dull ache in his chest. It felt like whatever was once there long ago was back, but it had been long since dead._

 _Shaking his head, he started to wander around in the darkness, trying to find someone. Anyone in the darkness. Though he didn't even know which way he was even supposed to go. All he knew was to go forward._

 _"You've failed her." Said a voice, causing Toshinori to whip his head around. Yelling at them that he didn't fail Inko, that he did all he could, and that she was still alive!_

 _"You've failed the one person who you promised you'd always protect."_

 _"I didn't fail her!" He said, finally finding his voice. Narrowing his eyes, the young man tightened his hands into fists as he said "Inko is still alive. I didn't fail her! I… I…" His voice trailed off, remembering that he had indeed almost lost her. That he had almost lost the one person who mattered to him more than his own life but he didn't fail her completely. He still managed to safe her in the end. Inko was still alive._

 _Tightly shutting his eyes, the young man tried to get himself to calm down, tried to relax though he couldn't get himself to calm down. "Inko is still alive." He said, more confidence than before._

 _"No, not Inko." Said the voice, causing Toshinori to frown as he looked up on ahead. A spot light shined on a figure in the distance. Tilting his head, he asked "Who are you?"_

 _"I'm you." Said the voice, yet when Toshinori got a better look he saw that it was him. But younger, maybe when he was eighteen. He remembered his UA uniform without any issue. "I'm the you that forgot the one person you always spent time with, the one person you promised to protect but you failed her."_

 _What? Who could he have failed in the first place? He's been able to protect everyone, everyone that needed protection and he knew that much for a fact but this version of him, was telling him that he failed in protecting someone? Shaking his head, the young man glared down at his younger self as he said "I didn't fail anyone. Inko is the only one that matters to me. I've been able to help her, heal her and I can do so much more for her!"_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because she's my friend."_

 _"Then you are a fool, you can't accept your own feelings can you?"_

 _"What?"_

 _Now he was confused, how was he a fool? What feelings? What was he even going on about in the first place? "What are you talking about?"_

 _"You'll find out, if you need me to tell you then you're a bigger fool than I thought you'd be." His younger-self said with a shake of his head. Toshinori sighed, this was going to be a huge pain in an ass. Shaking his head, Toshinori glared at his younger-self and demanded to know who it was that he had failed, if it wasn't Inko, then who was it? Who could he have failed?_

 _"Why don't you ask her?" Her? Was he dating someone back in high school that he couldn't remember? Was that who he had been forgetting? If that was the case, then why did he forget her?_

 _Looking over, he saw another spotlight appear and standing there was a tall woman. Maybe just an inch or two shorter than him. Tilting his head a little, he tried to make his way over to the woman only to find himself unable to move. What the? Opening his mouth to speak, Toshinori tried to speak but he couldn't even do that anymore. It was as if someone stole his voice! No!_

 _The woman started to walk over to him, the steps were slow and careful. Yet, the closer she got, the more dread he started to feel. Gulping, he saw that the woman had long black hair pulled back in a ponytail though, that was all he could make out. Her face was hidden from him, covered in shadows of this darkness that seemed to want to keep her identity a secret from him at all costs._

 _"Why did you fail me? Why didn't you save me?" said the woman, her voice sounded emotionless, dead. As if all the life had been sucked right out of her. Gulping, Toshinori tried to move, tried to speak but no matter what he did, he just couldn't get out of this. He couldn't move!_

 _'Move damn it! Fucking move!' He told himself, hoping that would have been enough to get him to move but no. His body wouldn't or couldn't move._

 _"You promised me that you'd protect me, that it was your duty and you failed me. You failed to keep me safe from him. Failed to keep me safe just like you promised…" She said a name, no, it seemed that the word itself had been lost to her. Did she forget the word or was the word just lost to him all together even in his own mind?_

 _Toshinori started to notice as she got closer, that there was blood staining her skin. Cuts, going down the length of her arms and legs as it just seemed to pool around her even though she kept walking. Yet, it was when she reached him was when he noticed that this was still the woman from his nightmares. Her eyes, gone, blood spilling down her eye sockets, mouth, nose, ears. Anything and everything that it could._

 _"You failed me Nori, you failed me and now you must join me as a punishment." She said, grabbing him and seeming to be pulling him down into the pool of blood. Toshinori tried to scream, tried to reach out for anyone to help him out of this. Yet, no one came. Letting out a loud scream, Toshinori tried to break free but even his quirk wouldn't work for him. He was on his own._

 _"Help me!" Shouted Toshinori._

Toshinori felt someone shaking his shoulder, causing him to all but jump out of his seat breathing heavily and looking around wildly. Turning his wide panic filled eyes to a confused and concerned Shouta and Hizashi. "Toshi?" Hizashi said with a frown on his face, he held a bag in his hands, most likely the spare clothes that he had asked for. Turning his eyes to Shouta, he saw that the man was the one that had been shaking him.

"What's wrong with you? Acting like you saw a ghost or something." Shouta mumbled as he crossed his arms.

"I… I…" Toshinori couldn't bring himself to talk. He wasn't even sure if he was even speaking. It just felt like everything that had happened in the nightmare had really happened. His body trembled, before he could stop himself he held onto Inko's hand and took a deep breath. He could still feel her pulse, she was still alive. Tightly shutting his eyes, taking deep panicked breaths, he tried to get himself to calm down.

"Toshinori, what did you see?" asked Shouta, his mumbling all gone and was now serious.

"I… I just had a bad nightmare. That's all."

"Nightmare?" Hizashi said with concern.

They knew that it wasn't like him to have nightmares. Or at least ones that resulted him being like this. For as long as they've known him, they have never seen Toshinori act like this, he was sure of that. But why did they still looked so concern for him? "Yes, it was a nightmare. Nothing serious." Toshinori whispered, hoping that he sounded as confident as he thought he did.

"Bull shit." Shouta said before grabbing Toshinori by his suit's collar and pulled him up, Toshinori not wanting to wake Inko had let go of her hand, even though part of him wanted to hold onto her a little longer. "What happened."

Shouta's eyes were narrowed, his eyes glowing red and hair whipping around a sure sign that he was using his eraser quirk. Toshinori couldn't fight his way out of this. "I… I just had a nightmare about failure. A voice kept telling me that I failed someone I thought they were talking about Inko but it was some woman with long black hair pulled back in a ponytail. I couldn't see her face." Toshinori went pale thinking about her. The blood… so much blood.

"What did she say?" asked Shouta.

"That I failed her, that I had promised to protect her but failed." Toshinori said, his eyes tightly shut, not wanting to think about the nightmare anymore.

"How long has this been happening?" asked Shouta.

"Since Inko called me Nori by accident, it was small, but the nightmare was worse this time." Toshinori said, causing Shouta to curse under his breath. The blonde looked between his friends with confusion and fear still in his eyes. Not sure what it was that was happening around him, all he knew was that the nightmare freaked him out. It had to mean something but he just couldn't think of what it was. What could have caused such a nightmare in the first place.

"Toshinori, listen to me." Shouta growled, shutting his quirk off as he blinked and stared at the blonde. "I can't tell you what this nightmare is, but Inko is the solution. I think, you helping her was also a subconscious thought. You wanted to help her because you tried to help someone like this before and failed. You locked the memories away because you couldn't handle it… But now, not just because of Inko using an old nickname you don't like but because you love her."

"I don't-"

"Don't fucking kid me here Toshi! You love Inko, come on!" Shouta all but shouted, dropping the blonde to the floor as he glared.

"Shouta don't-" Hizashi tried to speak up but his boyfriend cut him off.

"He needs to hear this Zashi." Shouta growled out. "Think about it, you were just waking up from a nightmare and grabbed onto Inko's hand, and you calmed down. The way you talk about her, the way your first thought of 'failure' for that nightmare was failing Inko. You almost lost her and I bet that was the first thing you were thinking when you were let in here after they finished stitching her up."

Toshinori nodded his head.

"See, this proves my point. Toshinori, you love Inko, better yet you may as well be IN love with her. You spend a lot of time with her and you've been so much happier with her than I've ever seen you." Shouta pointed out, his eyes narrowed into slits. Toshinori couldn't look him in the eye, how could he? He was right though, everything he said had been what he felt or had done. Turning his gaze to the sleeping green haired woman, Toshinori went through everything that had gone through his mind lately.

He even called her beautiful at the gala, something that as Toshinori he'd never do but as All Might he would. He had saved her from being shot but who wouldn't? Talking to her to help her relax, just helping her throughout all of her problems and going so far out of his way to make her happy. Even saying that he'd sing and play for her when with others he couldn't do it because of his fear of performing.

"I… I love her."

"Finally the idiot gets it." Shouta grumbled.

"She doesn't love me though."

"Toshinori don't start this."

"Come on! I've barely known her a year, not even six months and I'm already in love with her. What more can be done? She was in an abusive relationship for five years, what am I supposed to do?" asked Toshinori.

"Well, just tell her that you do love her, even if she doesn't feel the same that you both can be friends." Hizashi said, sounding a little more calming than his boyfriend.

"Though I have a feeling she feels the same way." Shouta calmly said with a roll of his eyes.

"I doubt it." Toshinori grumbled.

"Shut up and change already, you've been asleep long enough and she may wake up at some point and would love to see you awake and in normal clothing instead of your hero costume." Shouta said with a glare.

Toshinori sighed softly before making his way to the bathroom that was in the room and went to change. Thankful that they got him something that wouldn't let him stick out so much. He threw on a white t-shirt and long green pants with a belt. Making his way out of the bathroom he saw that they had already left. Figures. Though he also noticed the bag was by his chair so that made things easier for him to throw his costume in.

Making his way over to the bag, Toshinori threw in his costume and sat down, pulling the chair closer to Inko before holding her hand once again. "Inko, I won't fail you again, I'll do everything within my power to make sure that you are never hurt again." As for how he'd do that, he had no freaking clue.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young man just sat there, holding her hand as he waited for her to wake up. Only to end up falling asleep once again though this time he didn't have any nightmares.

* * *

Toshinori groaned a little as he felt something going through his hair. He tried to wave it off only to hear soft giggling. Blinking his eyes slowly, Toshinori lifted his head and rubbed at his eyes and turned his head to the source of the giggling. Only to stare with wide eyes. "Inko!" He hugged her, body trembling in relief. "Oh thank goodness you're alright." He whispered softly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. Um… Toshi? Did you pull me out of the car?" asked Inko.

"No, they called me after you got here. All Might saved you, he was out on patrol." Toshinori said softly.

"Oh, they must have noticed that I was trying to text you." She tried to text him? Huh.

Pulling back, Toshinori looked at Inko as he asked "I need you to tell me Inko, what happened? Do you know what could have made anyone want to kill you?" Inko just shook her head before looking away. That was something that he didn't want to see. He had hoped that she had an idea as to what could have made anyone want to do this to her though, the main thing was that she was alive so that had to mean something.

"Though…" hm? "I think it was Hisashi."

"What makes you think that?"

"He did try to shoot me remember?"

"Okay point taken."

He'd have to get his friend to look into the cameras by the crash site. There was a camera around that area that much he knew. So if they could get the footage of that then there was a good chance they could either see who drove the car, or at least the licences plate. Turning to Inko, he saw that she was drifting in and out again. He chuckled a little saying "Just stay awake a little while longer okay? I have to get the doctors to look at you real quick."

Inko nodded her head and watched as Toshinori went to get the doctor.

Toshinori had a gut feeling that Inko was right, that Hisashi was so desperate to have her back that it was starting to make him think.

Hisashi didn't care if he couldn't have Inko, that if he couldn't have her, then no one could.

Toshinori would have to start making plans to have Inko protected at all times though what could he do for that? Rubbing his face, the young man took a deep breath hoping to calm himself, though he just hoped that he could come up with something and soon. He couldn't bare it if he lost Inko, his heart couldn't handle it.


	10. Comfort and Pictures

Inko was released a week after her accident. Sure, they had been able to heal her injuries with some of the quirks that they had on hand at the hospital but they wanted to make sure that she had no lasting effects. The quirks after all, would have taken a lot out of Inko in order to speed up her recovery. During that week, Toshinori, Mitsuki, Hizashi, Shouta, and All Might had all gone to see her. Mitsuki mostly because she was Inko's best friend, Hizashi and Shouta mostly because Toshinori had gone to visit and they happened to be with him but also were worried about her even though Shouta tried to hide it.

Inko wondered who it was that had hit her, though she had a sinking idea as to who it was though the detective hadn't revealed to her that information as of yet.

All Might had told her that he was on the case as well since he was the hero that had saved her from the crash and rushed her to the hospital. Though even he hadn't revealed much about the accident because he wasn't authorized to give her any details as of yet.

Now though? She was on her way home with Toshinori. Not wanting to be alone, Inko had asked her blonde haired friend to take her home. His idea of taking her home? "You know Toshinori, you don't have to carry me you know." Inko said with a frown as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I know, but you scared me half to death from that accident, I'd rather keep my eye on you." Toshinori said with a chuckle, yet his laugh almost seemed forced. At least, to Inko it was. It was as if ever since she woke up, he was afraid to let her out of his sight. As if she would fade away the moment she was out of his line of sight. In a way, she found it rather endearing but also suffocating. Right now, she was kinda hating the stares that people were giving the pair as he carried her back to her apartment.

Inko couldn't help but sigh as she stared at the concerned man. He was sweet in his own way, it was one of the reasons why she loved him. "Maybe you should stay and have some tea with me then?"

"Why Inko, I'd be honoured too!" Toshinori said with a smile, a true smile. If she was honest, Inko had no idea just how much she had really missed it. The whole time she was in the hospital they had been forced, as if he was too afraid to show his happiness. Even his eyes had been clouded, it hurt her heart to see him in so much pain.

Not to mention, she had noticed the bags under his eyes. Many times, Inko had asked him if he had been losing sleep. His answer?

 _"No worries Inko, I've just been working a lot of late shifts lately. I'll be alright."_

She knew that was a lie though, most of the time he had been with her. Had she been the reason for his lack of sleep? Not to mention, she had found him sleeping at the side of her bed a few times as well when she would wake up. She couldn't forget those times either, for every time she would run her fingers through his hair, it would be drenched in sweat and he would be whimpering and begging, pleading for help.

Inko had even confronted him about the nightmares last night and he just shrugged her off. _"Inko, they are just bad dreams, don't worry about a thing. They can't hurt me after all."_ If that was the case, then why would he look so scared when he would basically jump scare awake and look around as if the very source of his nightmare was around in the room, waiting to attack him.

"Toshi?" Inko said with a frown on her face. He turned his blue eyes to her, his gaze still lacking the natural electric glow that she had grown accustomed too, but she knew that she had to bring that glow back to his eyes. That was one of the many things that made him 'Toshinori'. "If you don't work tomorrow, why don't you stay at my place? My couch pulls out into a bed. I don't think you should be left alone Toshi."

He was about to open his mouth to reject her offer. She knew that much that was just how he was. Before he could even say anything, Inko placed her index finger over his lips, causing Toshinori to look at her finger, only to look back up at her eyes. "Toshi, I hear you whimpering and calling out for help in your sleep. Please? I want to try to help you but you won't let me. It hurts me to see you in so much pain. To see you so scared over whatever it is that haunts you."

Toshinori looked away, unable to stare at the green haired woman. Inko knew what he must be thinking. That she thought little of him because he was the one that needed comforting, that he needed someone to heal him when he was trying to heal her. Reaching up, she cupped his face in her hands as she forced him to look at her. "Toshinori, I don't think of you any differently because of your nightmares. Whatever is hurting you, just know that I want to help you just like how you've helped me. Just let me help you, I've let you help me even when we were total strangers."

He just blinked his blue eyes at her a few times. It seemed that he was debating on his choices. Or rather, allowing himself to absorb the words that she had spoken.

Giving her a soft smile, his eyes gaining a spark once again before he pulled her a little closer to his chest. Pressing his forehead against hers as he whispered "Alright Inko, I think I could use a decent sleep if you think you can put up with me." Inko blushed at how close they were, she couldn't help but stare at the blonde man that she had fallen for. Though it seemed that he had noticed how close their faces were before he quickly drew his face away from Inko and looked away. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do something so improper!"

"It's okay Toshi." Inko whispered in a breathless whisper. Honestly, she didn't think he'd get that close to her. So close that she could have kissed him. Oh god, she wanted to kiss him so badly but knew that it would never come to be. Letting out a soft sigh, she looked up and saw that they were near her apartment building. "Look, we're almost there. I bet I have a lot of mail." Inko said with a soft giggle.

"Indeed, I left your mail on your table for you. Wasn't much though." Toshinori calmly said. Inko remembered that she had given Toshinori her key so he could water her plants and of course to make sure that her mail was brought in for her. Though, she just hoped that it wasn't bills, which was the last thing that she wanted on her mind right now.

Toshinori chuckled a little more when he saw the small pout starting to form on Inko's lips. He just couldn't help but smile gently at her. Inko knew that much, he seemed to think that this was amusing or something. "How about once we reach my apartment, I make us-"

"No."

"Huh?"

"No, Inko. You just got out of the hospital so I'll be taking care of you for tonight. I want to make sure that you are safe and fully healed." Toshinori said with a serious look on his face. Inko sighed softly. "It's only for tonight Inko, I promise. Afterwards you will have your apartment to yourself again." Inko sighed once again before giving Toshinori a small smile. Well, at least there was one good thing about it though, she could relax and enjoy some of Toshinori's cooking again. He was a good cook and she enjoyed it.

"Though, you'll have to show me where everything is since I've never used your kitchen." Toshinori said with a small blush on his face as he looked at anything other than her. It seemed to embarrass him that he was trying to take care of her, yet he had no idea where everything is in the kitchen. She almost wanted to giggle but had felt like that would have been insulting to him.

"Alright." Inko said with a bright smile on her face.

Once they entered her apartment, Inko was placed on the couch and had watched as the tall blonde had made his way to the kitchen. Most likely just going to get her a drink of some kind. He at least knew where her glasses were but that was about it. Hearing the sound of glasses clanging against each other, the young woman wondered what it was that he was doing.

Once she saw him walking out of the living room, he handed her the glass and just smiled gently at her. "I thought you'd have tea." Inko said with a giggle.

"I think water should be a good start first. Tea with dinner sounds much more appealing." Toshinori said with a soft chuckle before taking a seat with the blonde haired man. If she was really honest with herself, Inko was happy to see that Toshinori was being so attentive to her, though at the same time she almost felt like she was taking advantage of this. Even though it wasn't intentional, it was still a feeling that she didn't want to feel. "Anyway, let's just watch some movies for a bit, relax and I'll make us something to eat."

"Sounds fair." Inko said with a giggle.

Dinner was, to say the least, interesting. Toshinori made her a wonderful meal and it wasn't too heavy on her stomach since she had been stuck on eating hospital food the whole time. The night itself had been rather uneventful, and Inko had started to get worn down. Toshinori insisted on carrying her to bed but she rejected the offer. Mostly because she felt like if she didn't walk then her legs would fall asleep and well, who didn't hate that feeling?

Helping Toshinori get the sofa bed ready, she told him where the blankets and spare sheets were since he still refused to allow her to over work herself.

Saying goodnight, Inko made her way to bed, though she couldn't help but wonder if Toshinori would even be able to sleep in the first place. She was still worried about him from all the nightmares that he had been having. What was he even dreaming of that would cause him so much distress? It confused her, and concerned her. It had to be something bad, though did it have something to do with the one thing that he couldn't seem to remember?

What could have happened to him to have forgotten a memory such as that? Had it caused him so much pain? Was it connected to his parents or was it something so much more than that? Maybe Hizashi or Shouta knew what it was, though then again if that was the case maybe they would have told Toshinori what it was that was causing him so much distress as he slept. _'Unless they believed they were protecting him from such a terrible memory…'_ Inko thought to herself with a frown on her face. Shaking her head, the young woman knew that tomorrow she would have to figure out what it was tomorrow, for now she was exhausted and wanted to get some sleep.

Yawning softly, the young woman curled up under her covers and drifted off to sleep.

* * *

Inko woke up to the sound of whimpering and pleading for help. Blinking slowly, the young woman pushed herself out of bed and looked around the room. It was… four in the morning? Shaking her head, the young woman managed to get out of bed and grabbed her house coat as she walked down the hall. She wondered what it was that was making those sounds yet, at the same time she had a pretty good idea as to what it could be.

It was most likely, Toshinori was having another nightmare and he was once again, pleading for help.

Whatever these nightmares were, she hoped that there was something that she could do to help him. Though, what could she do to help him in the first place? It wasn't like she could enter dreams to stop them from happening. Now that she thought about it, was there even a quirk like that in the first place? Shaking her head, the green haired woman highly doubted that was the case.

What she saw it broke her heart.

There laid Toshinori in a tangle of blankets as his face was twisted in a deep pain. Gritting his teeth as his hands tightly gripped at the blankets, one hand releasing its hold for a moment as he reached upward as if trying to grab onto something, anything that could save him. "Help… me…" He mumbled, sounding as if he couldn't breathe, as if the nightmare was part of his reality instead of his dream.

Making her way over to him, Inko reached over and placed a hand gently on his forehead, it was sweaty and clammy. Just how long has he been suffering like this? Shaking her head, Inko gently grabbed onto his out stretched hand and held onto it, and like that he started to calm down. Yet, his expression was still pained and almost looked as if the nightmare was fading though, though he still looked pain.

Letting out a soft sigh, Inko just gave Toshinori a soft smile before crawling into the bed with him and almost immediately, he wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face against her chest over her heart. His body still trembled from the remainders of his nightmare though he was still struggling to calm himself. How was it that just holding onto her was enough to calm him? Tilting her head a little, Inko wrapped her arms around his shoulders and ran her fingers through his fluffy blonde locks as she let out a content sigh herself.

Toshinori trembled a little, his arms shaking as he held onto the green haired woman, Inko couldn't help but rock him a little back and forth as she hummed under her breath. It was something that she remembered doing for a couple kids when she babysat as a teenager. The poor boy, she remembered him, would have horrible nightmares and this was one way that would calm him.

It couldn't hurt to see if it would work for Toshinori.

"It's okay Toshi, I'm here." Inko whispered softly before nuzzling his fluffy hair, letting out a soft sigh of content. Honestly, she wanted to hold him but for a reason more than to comfort him from a nightmare. She wanted to hold him and have him love her but, this would have to do for the time being.

Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman wondered if he was even aware that she was the one holding him during this terrible nightmare that he was having. _'Hm, I'll have to make some of that tea for him the moment he wakes up. He'll most likely need it to help him relax.'_ thought Inko as she let out a small smile before laying down on the bed with Toshinori. He just held onto her, moving his face from her chest to her neck as he let out a deep breath. Inko couldn't help but shudder as it tickled her skin.

Heart racing in her chest, the young woman couldn't help but stare at the man who held her heart. In a way, she was happy to have someone like Toshinori in her life, she loved him dearly but… knew that she would never have him. Closing her eyes for a brief moment, the young woman couldn't help but wonder if there would be a man out there for her, one that she could love but… maybe Toshinori was going to be the last man that she could ever love.

Sighing sadly, Inko looked at Toshi and just stared at his peaceful face. He looked so calm now, hard to tell that he had a nightmare moments before she came out to see him. Maybe something had shifted in his nightmare when she grabbed his out stretched hand, a sign in his nightmare that someone came to save him from whatever it was that had attacked him. Running her fingers through his hair a little while longer, Inko felt sleeping trying to lay claim to her once again, though knew that she wanted to stay awake a little longer. Just wanting to enjoy the feeling of holding Toshinori a little while longer.

Giving the sleeping man a gentle smile, Inko couldn't help but tighten her hold a little, not enough to cause discomfort to the man, not like it was possible. Maybe something had shifted in his nightmare when she grabbed his out stretched hand, a sign in his nightmare that someone came to save him from whatever it was that had attacked him. Running her fingers through his hair a little while longer, Inko felt sleeping trying to lay claim to her once again, though knew that she wanted to stay awake a little longer. Just wanting to enjoy the feeling of holding Toshinori a little while longer.

Giving the sleeping man a gentle smile, Inko couldn't help but tighten her hold a little, not enough to cause discomfort to the man, not like it was possible. He was built like a brick wall, but she couldn't help but be worried about hurting him.

Sighing softly, once more, the young woman snuggled against Toshinori before she managed to drift off to sleep one last time.

* * *

Toshinori yawned softly as he started to feel himself becoming self-aware. Blinking slowly, he saw nothing but a sea of green before closing his eyes. He couldn't help but tighten his hold on whatever it was he was holding onto, thinking it was nothing more than a pillow until he noticed a couple things strange about this pillow. Since when did pillows breathe? And, why was something holding onto him? He was sure that he had gone to bed at Inko's home and it was alone.

Opening his eyes, he looked up only for his eyes to widen in shock. There in his arms was Inko, who was still sound asleep. She was holding onto him as he had slept, and had a peaceful look on her face as she does so. Why did she come to him in the night?

Shaking his head, he released his hold on the green haired woman though he couldn't help but smile at her. Inko looked so peaceful that it was rather adorable. Hm… now that he thinks about it, he was having a nightmare and it had… well, it turned into a wonderful dream.

The nightmare started out as it usually did. A woman telling him that he failed her, that he should have done something sooner to help her and that she was gone because of him. Because of his failure she was going to drag him down into a pool of blood. He could still remember the feeling that he had from the nightmare, feeling as the blood was pouring down his mouth and nose choking him. He shuddered at the thought of it, he had reached out for someone to save him, even remembered calling out for help and then he felt warmth.

Felt someone grabbing his hand and the nightmare slowly started to fade away into a peaceful and happy dream. A dream that he knew that would never come true. After all, it was a dream where he and Inko were happily married, having a home and Inko holding a bundle of blankets. A baby with her eyes and hair.

Shaking his head, the blonde felt silly thinking something like that. How can he think things like that when he had just realised his love for her days ago? Ugh, why did things have to be so confusing and painful? Turning to the green haired woman once again, he carefully moved his hands away from his waist and went to make some pancakes. May as well use up some of his time while he could. And he was thankful that Inko showed him where everything was last night so he could cook her dinner.

May as well allow the woman to sleep a little longer since she had woken up in the night. Most likely to tend to him as he had another one of his nightmares though he couldn't help but feel a little more rested.

First real sleep he's had in days and he felt better for it. Smiling a little, Toshinori started to whip up the batter once he found the mix and filled it with some water and started to hum a soft tune under his breath. He remembered hearing a song on the radio while he had to wait outside of Inko's hospital room for her last days of treatment to make sure that she had recovered enough to leave. Though, he couldn't help but frown in wonder.

Who was it that had crashed into her in the first place? They had found the car that was on the surveillance cameras for the accident but not the one who was responsible for it. It seemed that they had ditched the car right after crashing into Inko's cab.

They even traced the license plate and found it to a car loaner dealership and there was no record for the one that took the car as it had been stolen a week before the accident. Whoever did this, wanted to make sure that there was no trace left to be tracked. This mystery person was smart, though Toshinori knew that he would find the fucker that did this to Inko. Narrowing his eyes, he could feel the anger bubbling under his skin and his grip tightened the whisk so hard that he could hear the metal creek in strain.

"Toshi?"

Blinking, he turned his head and stared at Inko who was standing in the doorway and yawned softly. He gave her a small smile as he said "Morning Inko."

"You okay? You looked really angry about something." Inko asked with a frown on her face.

"I'm fine, just thinking about something. You don't have to worry about me." Toshinori tried to wave off her concern, he couldn't tell her that he was on the case about her accident, then she would find out about him being All Might, that was something he wanted to wait to tell her himself. He well, just hasn't had the right time to tell her. After all, she had just been let out of the hospital, may as well wait a little longer before telling her anything about that topic.

"I can't help it, you were having a nightmare last night and I was worried. You clung to me like a life-line." Oh, so she heard him last night after all, so that's why she was sleeping next to him. Inko really was a pure being that was for sure.

"I'm sorry for waking you Inko, I really am." Toshinori apologised to her, he felt bad that his nightmare had caused him to act like that though at the same time he liked waking up next to Inko, holding her in his arms and her holding onto him at the same time. It just felt right really, as if she belonged there in his arms and only his arms. God that sounded creepy.

"No, I'm just happy to help you Toshi." Inko said with a smile before looking up at the clock. "Anyway, the mail should be here, I'll get that and check what has been left for me while I was at the hospital." With that, Inko left the room.

Toshinori couldn't help but wonder what he should do now. He knew that as Toshinori, he needed to help Inko, yet he knew that she still needed time to heal before she could move on from her past. What concerned him was that with the colder weather coming up, she would just hide more of herself under thick layers of clothes, though not like that was new. He's never once seen her wear anything other than long sleeved clothes. Did Hisashi… god he was afraid to even think of it, but he felt like the man was just abusive enough to use weapons on her. Such as knives or even just beat her.

Shuddering at the thought, he tried to calm himself down knowing that he had to relax. If he got himself worked up then he may end up having a panic attack in the middle of her kitchen.

Taking a deep breath, the young man hoped that would be enough to calm himself down. Now he can get his thoughts back in order. He just hoped that one day, Inko will trust him with her past, to know what she had been through with that man before she finally left him. Once she showed that she was comfortable enough to talk to him about her past then she can move on from that life of pain, abuse and tears.

Now, as for what he could do for her as All Might well, that was to help her through this case. There was bound to be moments where they would have to interact a little more on the case of the shooting and of course of her car accident. There was bound to be something that he could do about the case that would give him an idea as to who it was that had hit her.

Was it really Hisashi though? Is the man that hell bent on having Inko back in his life that he had it in his thoughts that if he couldn't have her that no one could? Shaking his head, the young man knew that he shouldn't be thinking like that. After all, he had no idea how the man really thought even though the shooting should tell him more than it should.

Soon, Toshinori heard a scream, causing him to drop everything and rush to Inko who was by the front door, mail scattered on the floor and her pressing herself against the wall as if the mail was going to hurt her. "Inko?!" He shouted, rushing to her side and held onto her, seeing her body tremble broke his heart. "What is it? What happened?"

"He… he… he…. He sent…" Inko couldn't finish speaking, her body trembled even more, tears pouring down her face as she pointed to one lone opened envelop that had her address on it but no return stamp. Toshinori released Inko for a brief moment, he found her tightly holding his shirt, she whispered for him not to leave her but he promised that he was merely looking at what had frightened her so.

Carefully, he picked up the envelop and noticed that it was… filled with pictures? Frowning, he pulled out the pictures and looked them over only to stare with wide eyes. They were pictures of Inko, that much for sure. Her at her café, her spending time with Toshinori when they had been walking through the park. Her with Mitsuki and even her at her café with him as All Might. Wait, were those also pictures of her at the gala and dancing with… oh god.

What really surprised him was the last picture. The picture was indeed, him and Inko but how could this be possible? It was a picture of him and Inko sleeping on the sofa bed cuddled up together. He won't lie, he wouldn't mind keeping the picture himself but how could he have gotten the picture?

Looking down at the print out date, he saw that it was printed a couple hours ago. From the distance in the picture, it was most likely that the person was by the window when they took this picture. No one would ever suspect anything since they were merely in an apartment building, anyone could get to the main floors here but no one could get in.

Looking at the date again, Toshinori noticed an arrow on the back of the picture and narrowed his eyes. Was something written on the back? Flipping it over, Toshinori turned pale at what he was reading.

 _Inko, how dare you betray me. You dare be with another man when you are to be with me and me only! You have no way out of being with me no matter what you say. We are not over. I am coming for you, I know where you live and we'll be together again. Don't you worry, we'll be happy, just wait and see. I can bring you a life of happiness and joy, I'll come for you and you'll move into my home. I'll get you no matter what my sweet, darling Inko. Love Hisashi._

Toshinori knew that this was going too far. Turning to Inko, he rushed to her and held onto the woman, letting her cry against him. She was scared, terrified and they both knew that Hisashi would do at anything to have her back. Toshinori knew that he had to do something and he had an idea that would keep her safe.

Looking down at the green haired woman, he calmly said "Inko, stay with me. You'll be safe there, I promise you. I will never allow him to have you. You will never live a life of sadness, fear or pain! Stay with me, until Hisashi is in jail and behind bars where he can no longer touch you or contact you in anyway."

Inko just looked up at him, her tears building her eyes, they almost made her eyes look like emeralds to him. Though, even though this was a hasty choice, Toshinori knew that this was also for her protection and nothing more. Inko could only nod as she tightly held onto the blonde and cried. "Please, I don't want him to get me Toshi, please!"

"I won't… I am here for you Inko." Whispered Toshinori.

Their lives were going to be a little complicated, but Toshinori didn't give a damn. He would never allow that damn Hisashi get his hands on his Inko. Not ever.


	11. Some Freedom

It had been a week since Inko had been staying with him. Toshinori had insisted that Inko took his bed and he took the couch. After all, it would be wrong of him to let her sleep on the lumpy thing that he called a couch. During that time, he had came up with a system. He had called Mitsuki and asked her to pick up Inko on days he couldn't take her back to his apartment and if it wasn't too much trouble, to stay with her until he could get back home.

Sure, his apartment had the state of the art security but he still couldn't help but be worried about her regardless. Mitsuki, of course understood completely and had insisted on being part of the investigation in case there was anything that she could use for a case.

Though she was rather pissed when they wouldn't let her into the apartment because she knew Inko it would be a conflict of interest.

As for Toshinori, he knew that it was risky for him to look because he knew Inko personally but since his hero persona was already part of the case it would seem rather odd to just suddenly take him off of the case. The only thing they had was that he had printed these off at a store and sent them to Inko with her mail after the carrier had already come and gone. So no one had suspected a thing at the time. Now they were trying to find an address though it had seemed that Hisashi didn't have a home under his name.

If he even had a home, it was under a different one.

Toshinori wanted to find that man and beat the living hell out of him. Though he knew that wouldn't be the most heroic of things to do regardless of the reasons.

Sighing softly, he turned his head and saw Inko just napping on the couch. He couldn't help but smile at her, the whole week had drained her emotionally and he knew that she would need a good rest. Though… "Ugh…" Cracking his back a bit, a few pops were heard as he felt his spine adjust once again. "I'll have to replace that couch." He grumbled a little at that, the couch was great to sit on but not for napping that was for sure.

Though, he couldn't help but wonder what he could do to help her. Every trace they had of Hisashi had seemed to have gone cold, and he had no idea on what they could do anymore. No matter what they did, he just seemed to evade them somehow.

What could make this any worse?

"Toshi?" came Inko's sleep covered words, causing him to turn his head and look over at the sleepy woman. Inko was rubbing at her eyes in the hopes to wake up.

"Yes?" He said, making is way over to sit in a chair that was near the couch. Ever since that day at her apartment with the pictures, Toshinori had tried to be careful with her. Not wanting to cause her any kind of distress or fear. It had surprised him when she refused to let go of him after he let go of the pictures, but he also couldn't help but worry about her regardless.

"Think I can go for a walk through the park?" asked Inko.

"Sure, let me just go grab my coat-"

"I mean alone."

He couldn't help but frown at that. Inko should know that it wasn't safe out there for her. Hisashi could be out there and would try at the first chance to get her. Yet, he didn't want her to feel trapped at the same time. "Inko, why do you want to go out there alone?" he asked with a frown.

"Because well… I haven't even gone anywhere other than work and here. It… it feels like…"

Oh, that's why. If there was one thing he didn't want it was to feel like Hisashi but this time he had a reason for it. He was doing it out of concern, not out of trying to keep her sheltered thinking she'd cheat on him the first chance that was given. Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori stared at Inko with concern as he said "Alright, but keep your phone on you if you feel like you are being followed alright?" Toshinori just gave her a calm look, yet his blue eyes shined with concern.

Inko gave him a small smile as she said "I will don't worry."

Toshinori frowned a little before getting up and taking a seat next to Inko. He noticed her stiffen a moment before he pulled her gently against his side. "I'm not him Inko. I know he kept you sheltered like this but his reasons and mine are different. He did it because he wanted you cut off from the world, I'm doing it to keep you safe. I'm sorry I'm making you feel like I am doing the same thing as he did but I would never, ever do anything to hurt you." He whispered softly, laying his head atop of hers, not sure if this was proper or not but he felt her shoulder's relax. "I only want you safe Inko that is all I want. Once we are sure that he can't hurt you we'll get your apartment back."

"Thank you Toshinori." Inko whispered before pushing herself out of his hold though carefully so he wouldn't fall over. "I promise I won't get hurt and that I'll call the moment I feel threatened or when I am on my way home." That had made him feel a little better, though he thinks that maybe All Might may need to make another appearance. His gut kept telling him that he had to keep her protected but at the same time, he didn't want to appear as if he was stalking her.

Sighing softly, the young man watched as Inko walked out of the room, jacket in hand before she walked out of the apartment. Yup, All Might will have to make an appearance today, maybe she would open up to him more than anyone else. After all, he knew for a fact that anyone opened up to him about a few things here and there.

* * *

Inko sighed softly as she walked through the park. It wasn't far from Toshinori's building though it made her feel a little better at the very least. He meant well, that much she knew but it was still suffocating in his home. Just going in there after work and going straight to work, never allowed to leave unless she had someone to accompany her.

How Toshinori treats her is different, that much she is sure of. Before the pictures, he had treated her like any other person, and treated her specially. If that was the case anyway.

He made her dinner, he carried her home and defended her. Not to mention, he even promised to play her a song one day even though he doesn't like to perform in front of others. That had to speak about how different Toshinori was compared to Hisashi. Maybe that was one reason why she loved him. Not just because of his looks but because Toshinori had a heart of gold.

"Inko?" came a voice, causing Inko to jump a bit as she looked up and looked at the tall muscular frame of All Might.

"All Might?" Inko said with shock.

There stood the hero, tall and proud wearing a tight fitting white t-shirt with a long beige trench coat and green cargo pants. He tilted his head at the small woman before he asked "Are you alright? I've heard about what happened." He said with concern on his face.

"From who?" asked Inko with a frown.

"Well, I'm on your case about your stalker. I hate to say it but so far we've had no leads but I won't give up. I'll find a way to make sure that you are safe again." All Might said with a soft smile on his face. Inko couldn't help but smile back up at him, she knew his words were nothing but the truth. "Mind if I join you? You seem lost in thought." All Might said, tilting his head again.

"Of course you can All Might." She wasn't sure why but she enjoyed and rather missed his company. "So, what brings you to the park All Might?" asked Inko with a frown on her face, it was strange to see him outside of costume but it was nice to see that even he would dress like a civilian here and there. It still confused her as to why she felt so much comfort from the man. It was the same feeling that she would also get from Toshinori.

"I figured I could use a walk. It's my day off and it's such a nice day." All Might said with a chuckle, his smile growing wider on his face.

"True."

"What about you?" asked the hero with a frown.

Inko looked down as she let out a soft sigh. Rubbing her arms a little, a bit from the chill as the wind blew by. "I've felt so trapped lately. Ever since those pictures, Toshinori wouldn't let me be alone. I can understand the reasoning for it, I do but I still felt like I was trapped by Hisashi."

All Might frowned a little at her words. He looked around, Inko wondered what it was that he was looking for. Soon, a small smile grew on his face before he turned his gaze back at her. "If you'd want to talk, we can go sit on that bench over there." Turning her gaze, Inko saw the bench, much like when she and Mitsuki talked that one day it was out of view where no one would bother them as they spoke about Toshinori and her own problems when it came to her past.

Nodding, Inko started to make her way over to them, along with All Might in tow. It was rather odd to have such a tall man behind her, but at the same time she felt comforted knowing that should anything happen that he was watching out for any signs of danger in the area. He and Toshinori were alike.

Once seated, Inko looked up at the sky, her mind thinking to when it would snow. The weather had gotten colder lately, and knew that soon the winter would be here and if she was honest she loved snow. "What are you thinking?" asked All Might.

"Just thinking about winter. It's one of my favourite seasons of the year. I love ice skating, snow angels and snow ball fights. I know it seems childish but… I can't help it. It's one of the joys out of life. How even though winter is so very cold, there is beauty in it all." Inko said with a soft smile on her face at the thought of snow. Even as a child, she loved it and even as an adult, that love never faded.

"Interesting. I never knew that someone would think like that about a season." All Might said, his voice sounded perplexed but also enthused. "Snow is beautiful though, I will not deny that." He added with a smile on his face.

Inko smiled as she gazed up at the sky and sighed softly. She had been doing that a lot lately, though a lot has happened since she allowed Toshinori into her life. "All Might, do you love someone?" asked Inko with a frown.

"I do, very much so. Why do you ask?" he asked with confusion on his face.

"Well, I love someone as well but… I don't think he could ever love me. I mean, how could he love me? I am nothing but sloppy seconds to any man-"

"Stop thinking that Inko. You are a beautiful lovely woman, I've told you that at the gala remember?" All Might said with a serious look on his face. Eyes glowing with electricity much like Toshinori's eyes did so many times in the past. God, why was it that either of their eyes could captivate her so? It made her heart race in her chest to the point that she wondered if it would burst out of her chest.

"I'm sorry."

"It's alright, you have been through an ordeal long before I knew you. You still need time to heal from such am I right?" All Might said with a gentle smile on his face.

"Yes, there are many things that I still can't bare if I'm honest with you. It's something I've never even shown Toshinori." Inko whispered softly before rubbing her face. It was hard for her to mention, but she knew that she felt like All Might just made her comfortable enough to just… confide in him really. Plus, her heart felt heavy still of memories of her time with Hisashi but it was something that she needed to overcome.

"All Might?"

"Yes?"

"The person you love, would you still love them if they had… horrible scars on their body?" asked Inko with a frown and a sniffle.

All Might frowned a little at that, he couldn't help but stare at her. "Why do you ask this?" asked All Might, the hero rather confused about her question.

"Just… please answer it."

"If the one I love had scars? No, I wouldn't think any differently about her. If anything, I myself have a scar here and there. The price of a hero that much is a guarantee. Yet, to see the one I love with scars, it wouldn't make me change my mind. If you truly love someone you would accept them regardless of their flaws. No matter if they are physical flaws or otherwise." All Might declared as he stared at the green haired woman in question before he tilted his head once more at her. "Why did you ask such a question, is there someone you love Inko?"

"There is yes."

For some reason, Inko could have sworn that she saw All Might deflate a little in defeat. Why that was she wasn't sure before she looked up at him. "It sounds silly, but I've fallen for my friend." All Might looked up at that, his shoulders no longer sunken down in a defeated gesture though it did have her confused still. Inko couldn't help but give a sad smile as she sat there on the bench with him. "It's strange yes, but I didn't think I would ever love again."

"Because of how you were treated before?" asked the hero.

Nodding her head, Inko pulled her knees to her chest as she tried to get herself to calm down. Her body trembled a little but she wasn't downright frightened like she would have been before. Before, she would have been nothing but a trembling mess of tears before turning her gaze up at the mighty hero next to her. His stare was calm and gentle even while it was hidden within the shadows.

"The scars, both body and my heart will never fade I cannot help but doubt that my love will not be returned." Inko whispered softly.

"Why?"

"He can have any woman he could ever want, why would he want to be with me of all people?" Inko said with a soft yet sad sigh. "So far, he's been more concerned with my safety than anything else. We don't even just… talk? Do anything together anymore. I felt trapped and it was nothing but a cold place to live." Inko whispered softly.

"People do make mistakes Inko, no one is perfect." All Might whispered, his voice filled with, was that shame in his voice?

"I know." Inko sighed softly before turning her attention to All Might once again. "I know he made mistakes, as do I. Just like how I could never tell Toshinori that I love him. That is a mistake that I have to bare alone."

All Might seemed to have frozen as he stared at her. Time seeming to stand still as they both sat there. The green haired woman couldn't help but stare in concern. Holding out a hand, she waved it a few times in front of the hero's face as she tried to get some kind of answer from him though, it just seemed that he was stuck in time. Had someone hit him with a freezing quirk? Tilting her head a little, the young woman poked at his shoulder tilting her gaze once more before calling out his name a few times.

Her concern only grew as she tried to think on what it was that caused him to freeze up like that. "You love Toshinori?" All Might finally said.

"I do, why? You won't tell him will you?" Inko said with panic, knowing that Toshinori and All Might knew each other, it had been a risk telling him that she loved the other blonde man that was in her life but, it had just slipped out!

"No, I won't my dear. I have no reason to tell him that but rest assured, he would be lucky to have you in his life. He would be lucky, to have your love and you receiving his love in return." All Might whispered to her softly before pulling her close to him in a one armed hug. "He is a lucky man, to have you love him Inko, never forget that." All Might whispered to her softly before letting go. He gazed up at the sky and saw that it was starting to darken a little before he turned his gaze back to the small woman next to him. "Anyway, it is getting late, you best should be off to head home."

"Yes, I should. I'm starting to get rather hungry." Inko said before pulling out her phone and sent a text to Toshinori to let him know that she would be heading back now. May as well just text him, he always gets them either way. Smiling a little, Inko looked back up at the hero as she said "Thank you for talking with me All Might, I guess… I never knew how much I needed to hear it until talking to you."

"It was my honour Inko." He chuckled a little before walking with her out of the park. All Might of course had left her side until when they were a block away from Toshinori's apartment. She waved goodbye to the hero before making her way back home. Home, it was rather odd to think of Toshinori's home as home, even though it had only been a week. Yet, she couldn't help but small smile that was on her face at the thought of it.

When Inko returned to Toshinori's apartment? She was surprised to see that he had a pile of DVD's out and he had his TV left on the DVD menu screen. He was mumbling to himself, as if he was debating on what movie they should watch. Inko just tilted her head a little in confusion, not sure what he was trying to do though, she couldn't help but smile gently at him. "Toshi?"

He blinked and looked over at the green haired woman only to give a sheepish smile. "Hey Inko, I uh… was hoping to have a little more time in here. I thought I could pick a movie we could watch together. I figured with how much time I um… forcibly locked you up that I could make it up to you." Inko just tilted her head a little to the side, staring at the blonde as he seemed to blush a little. His gaze no longer on her as he tried to think of his next words carefully.

"I felt bad. You are a free spirit, you need to be out and about so I figured maybe after work we could just well, go for a walk? Maybe even just watch some silly movie afterwards." Toshinori said, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

"I'd like that." Inko said with a smile on her face. Maybe her life was starting to turn up again. She could enjoy herself again before those blasted pictures ever came to her apartment. The only difference was that she would be doing whatever they would normally do at her apartment here in Toshinori's home instead. It made her smile, though she knew that she still needed to go out here and there.

And maybe one day she would even tell him about her scars though for now she was happy and knew that either way, Toshinori was one of the reasons why she could feel joy again. It was a feeling that she never wanted to lose ever again.

"So, what movie have you decided on anyway?" asked Inko with a tilt of her head.

"Not really no, I was trying to think of one before you got home but uh, well you can see how well that turned out." Chuckled the blonde nervously.

Inko just smiled before sitting with the man as she decided to spare him a little. Thinking it was best to help him pick out a movie instead of just letting him sit there and do nothing. Laughing a little, Inko helped Toshinori with picking the movie that would keep the two entertained for the time being. Though, she wondered if they would just be able to enjoy times like these every day. Just watching movies and being in each other's company from here on out.

Maybe even one day, she could tell Toshinori that she loved him but felt like that no matter what, she would never be able to confess to him as easily as All Might claimed too. _'Maybe someday…'_


	12. Yagi Miyoko

Inko couldn't help but look out the window with wide eyes. She had only been awake for a few hours, but the sight was worth it. As she gazed out the window, the young woman couldn't help but smile as she saw the snow falling from the sky. It was like big globs of snow falling from the sky and she couldn't help the excited giggle escaping her.

It was as if ever since her big talk with All Might, Toshinori had made things easier to bare. That was about a month and a half ago now. Everything had for the most part gone back to normal for the two of them. Which, she was forever grateful for. Toshinori had tried to make things easier for the two, made sure that they both could laugh, did silly things and just enjoyed themselves. Of course, he even gave her some time alone to let her collect her thoughts.

Yet, it was still hard for her some days and even then, Toshinori didn't know what to do.

"Inko?" Toshinori's voice caused her to turn her attention for a brief moment and she smiled. "What are you doing?" He asked with a frown on his face.

"Look, Toshi, it's snowing." Inko said with an excited giggle.

The tall blonde haired man joined Inko as they watched the snow falling outside. He couldn't help but smile a little, turning to stare at her as he said "Beautiful." Inko nodded, she couldn't help but gaze outside with eyes full of wonder and amazement. "Maybe we can just go outside today, enjoy ourselves. After all, it is a beautiful day. Ice skating sure sounds fun doesn't it?"

"It does!" Inko said before rushing to the dresser that contained all of her clothes. She knew that she had to change into something warm. Though since Toshinori was in here, there was no way the green haired woman would change in here. Not where he could see her scars. That was one thing that she hadn't been able to do yet, how could she bring up the topic of her scars to Toshinori in the first place? Not like she could just blurt out 'oh, by the way Toshi, I have nasty scars on my body from when I was with Hisashi and now I'm so self-conscious that I can't even bring myself to show them to you' yeah, that would work out great.

Once she threw on a teal sweater and black pants, Inko walked out of the bathroom and smiled as she saw that Toshinori had gotten dressed for the weather as well. He just smiled at her, a fore sure look on his face as he took a deep breath as he said "Ready to head out Inko?" asked Toshinori.

"Yeah, though I should warn you, I'm not a stronger skater." Inko said with a soft blush. It was one thing that always made her embarrassed. She loved skating yet she wasn't very good at it. IT made her sad, and it made her feel like she was disappointing Toshinori.

"No worries. I can easily just hold onto you so you won't fall." Toshinori said with a soft gaze. It made her heart beat quickly within her chest. God, how could he do that just by a simple gaze of his blue eyes. Inko couldn't help but shyly look away, avoiding his gaze only to end up looking at him once again. "Anyway, let's get our jackets and be on our way shall we?" Inko just nodded her head before making her way over to the coat rack and grabbed her pink coat and looked over at Toshinori and saw that he was grabbing his blue coat today.

"Hm?" Toshinori hummed softly as he gazed at Inko's coat and frowned a little. "Looks like you'll need a new coat." Toshinori said with a tilt of his head.

"I do?" She looked herself over and noticed a few rips and tears in her coat, though she figured that was to be expected. After all, the coat was old and had been needing replaced for some time but she never had the money to get a new one or she kept forgetting to replace it. "I guess I do." Inko whispered softly before letting out a soft sigh. To think, this was also her favourite coat too.

"I'll buy you a new one if you want." Toshinori offered.

Inko quickly shake her head as she said "No, you don't have to do that. Please, it's my responsibility to buy myself a coat, not yours."

Toshinori just frowned at that before sighing softly and looked out the window once more. Seeing the snow falling still as he said "Anyway, I think we should go, don't you think?" He tilted his head, hair falling in his face. It made the green haired woman want to run her fingers through his fluffy locks yet had to refrain herself from doing so. It was improper to do so without his consent in the first place. Last time it was to comfort him and he was sound asleep thanks to his nightmare and hadn't been aware of it in the first place.

"Yes, we should." Inko agreed, her smile soft as she gazed up at Toshinori. She had noticed that he was blushing now and it made her wonder what was going on in his mind right now. What could he be thinking that would make him blush like that? Tilting her head a little, the young woman just smiled a little more as she said "Getting shy are we Toshi?"

"No." Toshinori said as he looked away from the green haired woman. Yup, he was starting to get shy, it was rather cute. Endearing even, though she knew that she would have to be careful still. Even with Toshinori protecting her, there was still the odds of him coming out to attack her. After all, there had been no sign of him since he sent those pictures to her and that was the last of anything.

Shaking those thoughts from her head, Inko smiled as Toshinori grabbed his keys and walked out of the apartment with her, now was the time for them to be happy and enjoy each other's company. Nothing more. Though, she just hoped that nothing went wrong today.

* * *

When they first left, Toshinori got his head covered by a big glob of snow. Frowning a little, he couldn't help but blink in confusion. Inko of course just burst out laughing at the sight. Snow clung to his hair and made her laugh a little. He loved her laugh, it was so happy and carefree. So different compared to how it was when he first met her.

Now, she smiled more, laughed more and wanted to just live her life really. And he also had made sure that she hadn't felt trapped while in the apartment. Making sure that he did all he could to make sure that she could get out and about so she could be happy. Yet, one thing that he hadn't thought of was how to confess to her.

Ever since that day when Inko told 'him' that she loved him while not knowing that All Might, was in fact, himself, well… it was rather confusing. He was talking to her through both personas and yet she was so happy to talk to either of them. Yet, to know that she returned his feelings it made him all the happier yet, he felt like there was something holding Inko back at the same time.

It had to do with her scars that much he knew. Yet, he wouldn't care how many scars her body has, it was not the scars that defined Inko but the person under those scars was that truly mattered.

"Toshi look!" Inko shouted as she pointed at a pile of snow on the grass within the park. He couldn't help but smile as Inko rushed forward only to plop onto it backward. Laughing all the while as she waved her arms and legs back and forth before she just looked up at him. Toshinori couldn't help but chuckle as he stood before her and tilted his head at her. "Toshi help me up?" She said, holding out her hand for him to grab hold of.

Toshinori pulled Inko up only to realise that he had used a little too much strength as he ended up pulling her right against him. He felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he gazed down at Inko, who was now looking up at him with a blush to match her own. Oh god, was that his heart beating in his chest? Yes, yes it was and it felt like it would break free of his ribs.

Lowering his arms, Toshinori whispered "You made a lovely snow angel." God, why did he have to say that of all things?!

"Thank you though you would make a taller one." Inko said, a nervous giggle escaping her.

Toshinori could only chuckle at that. IT was true, he couldn't help but smile at her before looking over at the lake. He knew that thanks to how cold it had been lately, that the lake would freeze. Though, he had no idea if the lake was solid enough for the two of them to skate on. He'd have to check to see if anyone else was around or at the very least put his own weight on it so he knew that if it could support his weight, it'd support Inko.

Making their way to the lake, Toshinori had noticed that no one else was around. That seemed odd, though then again it was still rather early in the day so more for the two of them. It almost made Toshinori think it was a date- _'A date? Just… just Inko and I? Together? Alone? Oh boy…'_ Toshinori thought with a blush on his face.

"Toshi?" Inko said with concern in her voice.

"Sorry, I'm alright. Wait here, they normally have this lake open for other people to skate on but it seems we're the only people here. The booth though is normally unlocked for us to borrow a couple skates." Toshinori explained with a chuckle before making his way to the little booth. He picked out a pair of skates for himself, only to call out for Inko on what size she wears. Getting her size, he gets her skates and leaves some money on the till where the owner would see it so they know that someone borrowed a pair.

With that, he made his way over to Inko and held out her skates for her before walking with the green haired woman to the nearby bench. Taking a seat, Toshinori removed his boots and put on his skates. "Let me know when you're ready and I'll hold you as we skate." Toshinori offered, kind smile still in place as he chuckled.

Inko nodded her head as she started to put her skates on. Toshinori watched Inko, removing her boots and replacing those with the white skates. She stuck her tongue out as she worked on tying up the laces and he found it rather cute how she stuck her tongue out at the corner of her mouth. It was adorable really. Yet, he knew that he would still have to be careful not to stare too long. If she noticed him staring then she would turn into a stuttering mess most likely.

Tearing his gaze away, Toshinori couldn't help but look out around them. The park was covered in snow, the trees were lacking their leaves of course yet they were dusted in snow that almost made him think of powder sugar. The snow almost made the trees themselves sparkle in beauty. _'Like Inko's eyes.'_ he couldn't help but smile at the thought.

That was another thing he loved to stare at was her eyes. The way they shined and showed all of her emotions. She was like an open book that way to the point that her eyes would shine when happy, dim while sad, sparkle while excited. Her eyes were like gems really and it made him smile all the more. Even to the point that he let out a soft chuckle just thinking about it. "Toshi?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you laughing?"

"Oh, nothing important Inko. I promise."

Inko frowned a little before nodding her head. Pushing herself up from the bench, wobbling a bit as she does so. Toshinori, of course reacted quickly and wrapped his arms around her and holding her close. "You alright?" He asked softly.

"I am, thank you." Inko whispered softly, so soft that he almost hadn't heard her.

Blushing a little at how close they were, Toshinori moved his arms and settled for looping his arm with Inko's. Inko though, wrapped both arms around him like they were a life-line. Which, they were to her most likely. "Are you ready?" asked Toshinori.

"I am." Inko replied.

Toshinori carefully stepped onto the ice, once he was sure that it was safe to support his weight, he turned to Inko and smiled at her before allowing her to step onto the ice with him. Toshinori was careful with Inko, taking careful steps onto the ice not wanting to risk her falling and hurting herself. He gently patted her arm now and again, sensing how worried she was about falling. "I thought you really enjoyed ice skating." Toshinori chuckled gently.

"I do, but doesn't mean I like falling either." Inko replied before clinging a little more to the tall blonde.

He couldn't help but smile at her for that. It was rough that was for sure. Just a simple slow glide on the ice but it was enough for them to enjoy each other's company. Yet, he couldn't help but be curious as to what was going on in her head. Inko looked scared, frightened or was it just that she really didn't want to fall on the ice?

Patting her arm once again, Inko looked up at him as he said "Do no worry, I am here." Toshinori smiled gently at her as they kept on gliding on the ice, he of course was being mindful of how careful she was while on the ice. He made sure to keep his steps slow and even so Inko wouldn't fall on him and drag him down with her. He chuckled at the thought though doesn't mean he'd do it anyway.

Inko soon started to giggle, now able to enjoy herself as they skated along the ice. She had, at least for the most part let go of Toshinori and started to glide on the ice. Toshinori couldn't help but smile at her as he watched as she let go of his arm and started to skate on ahead of him. It seemed that all she needed was some time to adjust to the ice, almost like how you need to give your body time to adjust to the water down at the beach if its chilly, not having warmed up yet from the sun.

Yeah, this was something that Inko needed. Just something fun to do to allow herself to be happy. It was soothing to see such a face on Inko. Her smile was so radiant that it was almost as blinding as the smile he would show people as he saved the day.

His heart started to beat in his chest, he reached up, feeling it beating quickly and roughly in his chest. _'I truly love her, I would gladly give up my life just to make sure she is always happy. That is all I want from my life with her. Even if I'm never able to tell her my love-'_ No, he decided, he would tell her. One day, he'll tell Inko that he loves her and nothing would change that.

Narrowing his eyes a little, he took a deep breath as he tried to calm down his rapidly beating heart and get it to slow down. Now was not the time to think of himself, but to think of Inko and her happiness. Nothing more.

"Toshi look!" Inko called out, causing him to look up as she was twirling on the ice. Happy giggles escaping her. Her smile so radiant and beautiful that Toshinori felt his face going red.

"You are doing fantastic Inko!" Toshinori said with a bright smile on his face. IT was good to see Inko so happy. He was about to make his way toward her until she took a misstep on the ice and fell into a nearby bush. The leaves, nearly all gone by the frost though the branches left bare for the most part. "Inko!" Toshinori shouted as he rushed to her.

It didn't seem like she was hurt, as she had yet to make a sound of her pain or discomfort. So that had to mean something at the very least. As he reached her, he asked "Are you okay?"

"I am, sorry." Inko said with a frown before holding her hand out. Toshinori of course accepted her hand and pulled her up toward him. Yet a loud ripping noise had alerted the pair that Inko's coat had been caught on the branch, making it so that her winter coat was ripped from Inko's back. Inko turned around carefully so she could grab the remains of her coat, yet as she turned, Toshinori saw that it wasn't just her winter coat that had been ripped from her body, but also the back and left side of her seater and half of her sleeve of her coat as well.

What surprised him though, was the scaring on her skin.

Sure, Toshinori had a feeling that Hisashi's abuse wasn't just verbal, but also physical. Yet, to see it himself it was almost too much for him to bare. Along her back was burns, burns that had long since healed but left scars along her spine. He also noticed scars that still seemed red and angry as if they were still fresh and in the process of healing. Yet, he knew that they had healed but not properly which resulted in the way the scars had healed. It was as if her ex had taken the knives from the kitchen and used them on her instead of a cutting board.

Toshinori felt his breath hitch, he felt like he had seen scars like this before on someone. Scars on another woman, her voice ringing in his ears. Cheerful, happy and ever so joyful only for those to turn fake and forced. Toshinori knew that something was wrong with this, he felt like it was a repeat in his life. As if somewhere in his past, long forgotten, so much so that his mind had buried it within the depths of his mind so they would never hurt him again.

"Toshi?" Inko whispered, her voice trembled slightly, causing him to look at her before he shook himself from his thoughts. Yet, the images in his mind persisted. Removing his jacket, he wrapped it around Inko as Inko said "Toshi say something please?" How could he say anything? He felt like anything he said would sound horse with emotion that he didn't think he's felt before. No, he was _sure_ that he had felt this before, it was a deep pain that was much deeper than a love that he had for a friend, but not as much as he would for Inko. It was something else.

 _"Nori, you don't have to worry about me. He can change, I'm sure he will. He just… loses his temper sometimes."_ her voice would say, a voice that he had forgotten long ago.

"Yoko…" Whispered Toshinori, causing Inko to stare at him in confusion.

"Who's Yoko?" asked Inko.

"Let's head home." Toshinori said suddenly, causing Inko to frown. Her body still trembled from the cold, but it seemed that her won shock remained as well as she shook in Toshinori's arms as he lifted her and ran off with speeds that shouldn't be humanly possible. Though, it seemed that Inko just figured that this was merely part of his quirk that he never did tell her about.

Toshinori didn't know how long it took for them to get back to the apartment, but he knew that he had to know now. That he could face what had been locked away from him all those years ago!

Setting Inko down, he whispered "Go change…" With that, he made his way to his living room only to stare at the cloth covered table that resided there. His body shook, though he knew that it was the part of him that wanted to keep forgetting what it was that he had forgotten. Though he knew that he couldn't keep running from it anymore. That this was something that he would have to face before he lost his nerve or forgot again.

That this would be his way of healing.

Taking a deep breath, he made his way over to the side table and removed the cloth. He could still remember when Inko first started to stay with him. He had told her that he never wanted her near this table that he himself never went near it because of how much pain he felt going near it. That it contained something that he seemed to be afraid of.

Trembling, his eyes tightly shut as he tried to get himself to calm down. God, why did this have to be so hard right now? Taking a deep breath, the young man took a step, then another as he tried to build up the courage he needed to open the damn thing. God, why did this have to be so damn hard?

"Toshi?"

Eyes snapping open, Toshinori looked over and saw Inko now in a sweater dress. Well, he could still see the pants underneath, most likely hiding more scars. Her body still trembled but he figured it was because she thought he was angry at her. "Yes?" He whispered softly.

"Are you… mad at me? About my scars? Or were you disgusted?" Inko asked softly.

Shaking his head, Toshinori held out his hand which made Inko frown a little. "Inko, come here." Inko winced a little that had torn at his heart before she started to walk toward him. Once she was in reach, Toshinori pulled her to his side and held her there. "I'm not mad or disgusted. But, your scars reminded me of something." He took a deep breath before he looked at the drawer once more. He wasn't sure if he had the strength to open this thing but he had to try at the very least. Taking a deep breath, he whispered "They reminded me, it's bits and pieces or at least I'm getting voices but, whatever it is, whatever is in this drawer must be connected to it."

"Oh."

Reaching out a trembling hand, Toshinori managed to grab a hold of the drawer only to stop himself. His body wasn't listening to his will. It wasn't allowing him to open the damn thing. "Damn it." He mumbled, about to pull away until Inko had placed her hand atop of his. He looked at her and saw her eyes shining on him. Even though she was shocked, he gave her a small smile. "Inko, promise me something."

"Yes?"

"I'll tell you everything the moment I've looked at what is in here… if you tell me what happened with you and Hisashi. Fair?"

Inko looked like she wanted to reject the offer that she wanted to just forget the whole thing. Yet, the look in her eyes, it showed him a resolve that he had never seen on her before and it made his heart soar for the green haired woman in his free arm. "Alright." She whispered softly.

Smiling a little more, Toshinori turned his blue gaze to the drawer that his hand still held before he pulled it open with Inko's help. The drawer let out a creak from lack of use and Toshinori couldn't help but frown at what was inside. "Pictures?" He whispered softly before letting go of Inko and pulled out the pictures and tilted his head a little. Indeed, these were pictures, ones that were still intact though he couldn't help but skip through a few.

Some of them were of him and his parents. Ones that he was sure that he wanted to have up if it wasn't for his memory loss. Though maybe it was connected to parts of his memory that were missing?

Yet, in one picture he noticed it was a picture of him as a teen. He looked pretty much the same though not as muscular back then as he was now. But, it was the woman next to him that made his eyes widen. There, was a woman just a little shorter than him though not by much. Maybe a couple inches if that. Her long black hair was pulled back in a ponytail and her brown eyes showed nothing but compassion and kindness as she looked back at the camera.

Both of which had an arm wrapped around the other and was giving a peace sign to the camera. Toshinori had a smile on his face, as did the woman though hers wasn't as big as his. Toshinori remembered her, it was the same woman in his nightmares, the one that claimed that he failed her and that was when he felt something streaming down his cheeks.

"Toshi? What's wrong, you're crying." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"I… I am?" He whispered before reaching up and felt his cheeks. Indeed, there were tears rolling down his cheeks. Covering his eyes with his hand, Toshinori felt his body shake and tremble as memories started to pour in. Letting out a choked up sob, he whispered "I remember her… I can't believe that I forgot about her, her of all people."

"Who is she?" Asked Inko.

Toshinori let out a soft sob, a sniffle before he removed his hand and gazed down at the picture once again. The pain was there, and tugged at his heart strings at the thought of failing her returning to him. "This is Yagi Miyoko…" Toshinori whispered before he tightly shut his eyes once again. "She was my twin sister."


	13. Toshinori's Story

"Twin… sister?" Inko whispered softly. Toshinori knew that she was staring at him, he could feel her stare at him burning a hole through him. "Why didn't you ever mention…?"

"I couldn't, because I had… forgotten about her." Toshinori whispered softly. Opening his eyes, he flipped through the photos. Indeed, they were all of him and his sister together. Or even some of the pictures of just his sister that made his heart twist like it never had before. The more he looked at the pictures, the more of his forgotten memories started to flood his mind. Seeming to flash before his eyes in an instant. It almost made him dizzy at the thought of it.

"Toshi? You okay? You're kind of pale." Inko whispered. She grabbed a hold of his hand, he hadn't even noticed that she had moved really. Seeming to walk with him to the couch and sat him down before leaving him alone to his thoughts. Whatever it was that she was doing, Toshinori didn't know but he couldn't tear his gaze away from the pictures. Just seeming to flip through them as he stared at all of the pictures.

There were even a few with him, Miyoko and their parents. All of them had smiles on their faces… so happy and carefree.

 _'I know why I forgot you, but I wished I hadn't. I could have found the man responsible for your choice.'_ he thought to himself before he felt more tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Here, this should help you." Inko whispered, he teared his gaze away from the photo and looked up at Inko and saw that she held a steaming cup of tea. He just looked from the tea back up at her. "It should help you calm down, your mind must be going over some kind of… um…" Inko paused as she tried to think of the right words before shaking her head. "No, your mind and heart are going through an overload, your mind with memories and your heart with emotions. This should help you relax until you can sort it out…"

Toshinori sighed softly before accepting the tea and slowly sipped away at the tea. Inko was right, his heart was surrounded by emotions. He felt joy, happiness, sadness, fear, loss, and many other emotions that he just couldn't fathom.

Yet, he knew that he should at least try to talk to Inko about his emotions. Everything was going through him so fast that it was like emotional whiplash.

"Toshi? Are you going to be okay?" Inko whispered.

He went to speak, yet when his lips parted no words escaped from him. Toshinori just sighed softly before looking down at his steaming cup of tea. It was as if his mind was about to explode from all of this information that just seem to keep flooding him. Rubbing his forehead, the young man turned to Inko and saw her concern green eyes as he whispered "I don't really know. How can I when I remembered my sister, my own twin when I had for years forgotten her because it was too painful?"

"What happened?" Inko whispered, scooting closer as she placed a gentle hand on his arm.

"She… she died. About six years ago." He whispered as he took a deep shuddering breath, hoping to calm his nerves.

They both sat in silence for a moment. If he was honest with himself, he didn't know that he even had a twin until the memories flooded back. Yet, it did explain a few things as he was growing up so to speak. In his memories, he had blank spots, more so when his aunt would mention some of the things that he would do with his parents or her when he was growing up but he had no memory of the event itself. Not to mention, the strange empty feeling that he had deep within him.

It wasn't the kind of connection you'd feel with your family, friends or in his case, the love he has for Inko. No, it was the loss of the connection one would have should they have a twin. He lost his twin, and that was the loss of connection that made him feel a bit empty yet could never truly explain to himself.

Closing his eyes, he knew now why his dreams where the way they had been. The way she died, the way she had been treated… he knew that deep down it wasn't his fault but damn it all he could have done something to help her. To have prevented her from ding such a thing and yet he couldn't save her.

"Toshi? You're crying…" Inko whispered, causing him to open his eyes and reached up and touched his cheek. Damn, he was.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, no, no, you have no reason to be sorry. You never have a reason to be sorry just for crying. Why don't you tell me what happened? Talk to me Toshi, we agreed remember?"

Right, they had agreed. He'd tell her his story and she would tell him hers. It was only fair after all. All the things that they have been through thus far, he wondered though if it would make them stronger for it, or would it destroy the other? He had no idea, though he knew that he had to speak his mind about his sister or else it would just haunt him forever or worse, he may forget her again because of how painful the memory was.

He took a deep breath, his breath a little shaky and uneven as he tried to collect his wits about himself so he could go on with his story, though he figured he may as well start from the beginning. The time he and his sister had lost his parents and the vow he had made to his sister, himself and his aunt that day. After all, it was that day that he wanted to be a hero.

"Let me start from around the time my parents died, and… from when Miyoko and I started to live with our aunt." Toshinori whispered.

 _Toshinori sat in the hospital with a little girl, around the same age as him. Her hair was put up in pigtails, and her brown eyes filled with tears. "Mommy, daddy… Nori are they okay?" The little girl asked with a sniffle. He turned to stare at her and frowned a little before getting off of his seat and joined his sister and hugged her. The little girl just cried a little harder._

 _"I don't know Yoko, but… I'll be here. I'll keep you safe while mom and dad aren't here." Toshinori promised, patting his sister hoping that his promise would calm her down._

 _"But… where will we go if they're gone?" asked the little girl._

 _"We still have Aunt Nicole." He pointed out, which was true. Their mother's sister was on her way to see them. It was a long flight since their father had no family to tend to them, he was orphaned himself and had no one growing up. That much Toshinori remembered about his father's tales._

 _"Hello little ones." Said an elderly woman with a small smile on her face. Both children looked up and frowned a little as they saw the sadness on her face. "I'm sorry but… they didn't make it. Our quirks weren't enough to save them." It was then that Toshinori heard his sister sobbing more and clung to him like her life depended on it. OF course it made sense, they were mere children, both living in a world full of quirks and yet they didn't have one that could have saved their parents._

 _Toshinori frowned as he held his sister, his own tears lost in his sister's hair as he tried to keep them both together. He would do all he can to make sure that he protect his sister from all the dangers of the world. He would do all that he could even without a quirk, to keep her safe at all costs._

 _After that day, arrangements had been made for the twins to stay with their aunt. Of course, it was hard to adjust them at first as their aunt was a dead ringer for their mother. Made sense, since their mom and aunt were identical twins. Miyoko would cry almost every time they saw her though Toshinori would calm her down saying that it's their aunt, not their mother._

 _Toshinori had trouble adjusted in school because he didn't have a quirk, just like his sister. Though, his sister had a harder time adjusting as unlike him, she looked more like their father, inheriting more of their Japanese-linage. While Toshinori, had inherited more of their American-linage._

 _Miyoko was always being picked on and pushed around. Toshinori of course would always jump in getting the worst of it. Miyoko would fret over his injuries but he would just ignore it as if it were nothing. Their aunt would always notice the injuries on both twins but she'd wonder why Toshinori was always in worse shape. He would shrug it off as if it was nothing until one day he came home and he was in worse shape than he's ever been in._

 _"Toshinori!" He winced at the anger that was in her voice. Turning his gaze, he saw his aunts blazing blue eyes glaring down at him. "Why do you keep coming home like this? Miyoko is always crying because she keeps blaming herself for this so what is going on here?!"_

 _"They keep bullying her! I'm just protecting my little sister!"" Toshinori said with a glare of his eyes. "I promised her that I would always protect her. I'll be a hero that everyone can look up too and if I can keep my sister safe then that is my first step to being a great hero!" Toshinori said with a serious glint in his eyes._

 _His aunt just sighed softly and gave her nephew a small smile before grabbing his hand and walked with him to the bathroom. "You are so much like your mother it's scary. She wanted to be a hero too, until she found her passion for art." She said before setting him on the toilet lid and started to treat his injuries. "Having a dream isn't a bad thing, but you have to make sure you can back up those words as well. Your sister is just going to keep crying when she sees you getting hurt for her sake and a hero is to make people feel safe and smile."_

 _Toshinori nodded his head at those words and tried to do just that. After that, he trained in day in and out, the bullies had stopped bothering his sister since he started to be able to hold his own. Miyoko of course still worried about her brother but he just smiled at her. "You don't have to worry anymore Yoko, I'll do everything in my power to keep you safe."_

 _"Are you sure Nori? I don't want you hurt anymore." Miyoko said with a frown on her face._

 _"Of course. I am older than you, it is the older sibling's job to help their younger sibling."_

 _"You're older than me by a few minutes."_

 _"Still older."_

 _"You're such a dork."_

 _"Yeah, but I'm still your brother."_

 _Miyoko just giggled and it made Toshinori smile at that. To see his sister sad, it made his heart hurt though that was due to their connection. He could feel what she felt most of the time unless she hid it from him. It bothered him a great deal when she would hide what she felt from him and he knew that he would always be there to help her. No matter what he has to do, he would always protect her. "Yoko? Just know that if there is ever anything that you are upset about, or hurting about you know you can talk to me right?"_

 _"Of course I do Nori, I'll always go to you the moment I need help. You are my own personal hero after all." Miyoko said with a bright and cheerful smile on her face._

 _Yet, that was back when times were happier. When they were teens, Toshinori and Miyoko decided they wanted to go to school in Japan. Their aunt, of course wanted to refuse since it was the place her sister died in but knew, that if they were anything like their mother then their minds were already set._

 _It had been months since they had gone to Japan and thanks to the connections they still had with their father's company, it paid for most of their schooling and boarding while the rest was paid for by their aunt. Miyoko and Toshinori of course had their own dorms for the time being and it had felt rather odd for the two of them to be in separate wings of the building but that was how it was meant to be._

 _After Toshinori had made his way to Japan, he had met a woman that saw potential for him in being a hero and started to take him on as a student. The training had been hard, Miyoko had fussed over him seeing the bruises on him and he just told her that it was part of being a hero and that he would do all it took to be a hero._

 _His quirk finally came to him and it was powerful yes. His sister had been rather confused as to why it awakened so late in his life instead coming around when they were children. But, they both had suspected that with both of their parents being quirkless that they themselves would never get one._

 _"Miyoko, just remember, I'm going to be a hero that everyone can depend on. You don't have to worry anymore. I'll make sure that you find happiness and can live a happy life instead of one of sadness." Toshinori had promised her, a small smile on his face._

 _Miyoko just smiled at him, happy to hear that he was doing all he could to be a hero. On their free time, when he wasn't training trying to get into UA, and Miyoko working on art, they would spend time together. It was on one day, that Miyoko revealed something to Toshinori._

 _"So, I met a guy. His name is Takahashi-san." Miyoko said with a small smile on her face. Toshinori just blinked as he stared at his sister. Over the years she had grown into a beautiful woman, a man would kill to be with. Her hair was long and pulled back in a high ponytail with two locks framing her face. Her brown eyes shining with happiness and joy at finding someone. "I think he's the one Nori, I hope he is."_

 _"I hope so. Because remember, if he ever hurts you I'll kick his ass." Toshinori said with a chuckle._

 _Miyoko laughed as she slapped his shoulder. "Nori, you can't go around beating up my boyfriends. I need to make sure you are kept in line though too. You need a woman in your life." Miyoko said with a giggle before Toshinori just rolled his eyes at his sister. This was something that had been going on a year or two now. Toshinori never showed interest in anyone and had always avoided dating. He was far too busy trying to be a great hero._

 _Though, he knew that maybe one day he'll find someone. For now though he was happy being single. "I'll be happy one day Yoko, you just focus on your happiness alright?" He said with a smile on his face._

 _Yet, over the course of a year, he had noticed a great change in his sister. Her smiles were few, she almost never spoke to him and when she did, she always wore long sweaters or long sleeved shirts. One time, he even confronted her when he felt a pain going through their twins bond._

 _"Yoko, you need to leave him." Toshinori said with a glare._

 _"I can change him though Nori."_

 _"No, you can't! Look at yourself damn it!" Toshinori seethed his anger as he rolled up his sister's sleeves and saw the scars. Some still healing while others had healed long ago. He noticed the burns and cuts on her skin and narrowed his eyes over the scars. "He's hurting you Yoko, I'll talk to him. I'll tell him to fuck off before he hurts you ever again."_

 _"Nori, you don't have to worry about me. He can change, I'm sure he will. He just… loses his temper sometimes."_

 _"Sometimes?! Yoko, look at yourself, really look at yourself. You have scars, he doesn't want you to talk to me anymore. He does all he can to make sure you have been separate from me… I don't want to lose you." Toshinori said with fear in his voice. The only time he's ever really been afraid of losing anyone other than their parents._

 _Miyoko just smiled as she said "Just you wait Nori, I'm sure he'll change. After all, he is the one for me and I'm the one for him. I'm sure of it, one day he'll change and we'll be happy. Maybe you'll even be an uncle and you can play with my children." She just giggled at that, though even though she tried to sound so happy and cheery, Toshinori knew that it was all forced. How she couldn't seem to smile anymore and just couldn't seem to get away._

 _Toshinori sighed softly as he watched his sister walk away. The chat would pop up now and again… and it would always be the same. He would plead with her to leave the man, plead for her to leave him and find someone else to love. For someone else to make her happy but she would always say the same thing. That he was only angry, that he's had a rough life and sometimes took it out on her instead of getting help._

 _Toshinori would never forgive that man though. He knew that if he could find him, he would have beaten some sense into him long ago but… then one day that all changed._

 _It had been a couple days since he last heard from his sister. What bothered him was that he didn't even feel anything from his twin's connection. Sure, he knew when she would block him, it was an ability they had mastered long ago but for some reason he felt like she was lost or something at this point._

 _Making his way to her apartment that was paid for, thanks for her art work, he knocked on the door. There was no answer. "Yoko? You home?" He called out, not sure if he would get any kind of answer. There was something wrong, even when she would try to avoid him she would always answer the door. It was part of a compulsion that she had._

 _Even Shouta and Hizashi knew that much from what he had told them in UA._

 _Crossing his arms a little, Toshinori tried again. Knocking on the door thinking that maybe his sister was sound asleep. Though it seemed that the same would just happen again. No answer. "Miyoko? Come on, I'm not in the mood for silly games here." He tried to sound serious, though really he was scared. He was frightened thinking that something happened to her._

 _Looking around for the spare key that she would leave out should the case arrive if she lost her main set, he found it under the mat and unlocked the door before walking in. Toshinori wriggled his nose at the scent that hit him hard. "God Yoko, what have you been doing in here?" He called out, wondering if he would get any kind of answer from his twin._

 _Still nothing._

 _"Okay, Miyoko, I don't know what you are playing here but seriously, answer me. I'm not in the mood to play games. I've just had the shit beaten out of me during combat training." Toshinori called out, hoping and praying that his sister was home. Or at the very least had just gone out before he had arrived. 'Please let that be the case here. Please god I beg of you…' He thought to himself as he made his way through the apartment._

 _Looking around he saw that the couch was barren, the cushions were slashed open so it made him wonder if there was a break in. Though then again no one knew about the spare key but himself and Miyoko. The door wasn't forced open and he saw no broken glass of any kind nor, a sign of a struggle._

 _Frowning a little, the young man tilted his head before making his way over to the couch and checked the slash marks. It seemed that these were careful cuts as they were cut down in a perfectly straight line. Rushed ones would have at least been a little jagged on fabric._

 _"Yoko?" He called out before making his way to the kitchen and frowned as he saw most of the drawers opened and the utensils scattered around as if the person who did it was looking for something in a rush. Tilting his head, Toshinori sighed softly as he opened the fridge, nothing in there. Odd, she always kept up with her groceries._

 _"Miyoko, please be alright. I am begging you here." He whispered, turning his head to the second hallway, which lead to her bedroom. Frowning a little, he made his way over to the bedroom door and slowly pushed it open. "Are you in here Miyoko?" Called Toshinori, hoping that he would finally get the answer that he's wanted since he arrived here._

 _Yet what he saw made his blood run cold._

 _There was his sister, a discarded chair laying on the floor and blood staining the wood beneath her. His sister, dangling from the ceiling by a noose hanging around her neck. Toshinori could only stare, his eyes wide and pupils shrinking to the size of needle tips. "Yoko." He whispered, her skin was deathly pale, her skin having been slashed at and he noticed the discarded knife by her bedside table._

 _Miyoko had slashed her wrists, reopening up some of her old scars and making herself new ones by cutting her arms and legs. Blood pooling under her as she allowed herself to hang. Toshinori felt himself fall to his knees, his body just going through the motions and words whispered in his head._

 _'You failed her. You were her brother and you promised to protect her and you failed.'_

 _'You are never meant to be a hero. You couldn't protect your own sister, how are you to protect the world?'_

 _'You should die, a crime fitting for your failure, failure to protect your sister, your twin, your best friend!'_

 _'MIYOKO!" Shouted Toshinori as he screamed out so loud and long that his voice went horse from over use._

 _He didn't know how long he sat there, but from his screams the neighbours had called the cops and the next thing Toshinori knew he woke up in the hospital. He looked around the area around him, wondering how long he had been in here. His body felt exhausted, and tired. His mind felt a little hazy and it confused him._

 _Everything seemed rather odd to him, strange even._

 _"Toshi!" shouted Hizashi's voice as he ran into the room. Toshinori blinked his eyes slowly as he looked up at the blonde haired teen before him. Toshinori frowned a little in confusion. "Are you okay? We heard about what happened. Shouta will be here soon… I am so sorry about Miyoko though. She was so nice, I liked her."_

 _"Hizashi… who is Miyoko?"_

 _Hizashi could only stare with wide eyes. During his stay at the hospital, Toshinori had felt that he had been in some sort of haze. The only thing he had recalled was some doctors mumbling something about shock, trauma and repressed the memory and other memories surrounding someone. His aunt even came into the hospital, tears in her eyes as she looked at her nephew and held onto him. Crying and telling him that she was so sorry for Miyoko's death. Yet again, he had no idea who this 'Miyoko' was in the first place._

 _After he got home, his mind was still in the daze and his body just going through the motions. He remembered Shouta and Hizashi grabbing pictures and removing them from the walls and shelves. At first Toshinori had asked tiredly about what it was that they were doing, but they only said that they were cleaning. The only thing he could recall was that they placed the pictures in a little side table that he had been afraid to open. Knowing that whatever it contains would only hurt him in the end._

"I suspect that the shock itself, finding my own twins body like that had caused my mind to shut down and erase all traces of Miyoko from my mind. Or at least lock them away." Toshinori suspected before sipping the last remains of his tea. "When I had asked Hizashi and Shouta for a change of clothes, I guess they were trying to help me out in their own way and had been stepping on eggshells around me for days."

"What do you mean?" asked Inko.

"I guess they were scared I would react violently or something. As if, just mentioning Miyoko would have caused me to go ballistic or something. I'm not really sure, but either way for the first few weeks, I didn't leave my apartment." Toshinori said with a soft sigh. It seemed that while he was in his daze, his body was trying to adjust to his new mental surroundings. Sighing softly, Toshinori held onto Inko a little more as he whispered "After a month of mental recovering, I returned to school as if nothing had ever happened. It had seemed like Miyoko had never existed, but I knew that something was missing but I couldn't explain it to anyone, not even myself." Toshinori covered his face, a soft sob escaping him. "I still can't believe that I had to forget her in order to live my life."

"It was to protect yourself though right? Your mind only did it as a means of keeping you safe wasn't it?" Inko asked with a frown on her face.

"Yes. At least that's what I believe… Miyoko was the only one that knew when I was sad but that was because of our twins bond. Our link, it isn't like that of a lover per say, I did love her but like any brother would. I wanted her to be happy and live a full life but instead, she couldn't take the abuse of her boyfriend and took her own life." Toshinori said with a sigh before he pulled Inko close to his side, just wanting to hold her. To feel some kind of comfort. "I guess it was a subconscious thought on my part that reached out to you. I wanted to help you and maybe make amends for failing my sister."

"You think your sister think you failed her?"

"Why wouldn't she?"

"Toshi… you know what I think was going through her head?"

"What?"

"I think, maybe she figured she failed you."

"Huh?"

Toshinori blinked as he stared at Inko, his eyes wide and full of confusion as he tilted his head at her. Inko just gave him a sad smile as she told him her answer. "I think, maybe she figured because of how strong you were. You tried your whole life to keep her safe and yet, she couldn't keep herself safe anymore… that she couldn't be as strong as you and had decided to take that way out. She didn't want to burden you. She wouldn't want you to blame yourself for her choice."

"But…"

"No buts Toshinori. Your sister loved you, and would want you to live your life. Make your life wonderful and full of joy and make up for the life that was taken from her by being happy." Inko said softly.

Toshinori sighed softly as he held Inko a little closer to him, just wanting to hold her for comfort. Taking a deep breath, the young man looked down at her as he whispered "Now, Inko it is your turn to tell me your story…"


	14. Inko's Story

Inko looked up at Toshinori as he looked at her. His eyes still shadowed by his own memories, and honestly she didn't want to burden him with her own problems. Just thinking about her past made the scars burn but, she knew that she had to do this. That this may end up helping her, much like how Toshinori telling her of his own past, one that he had never known was missing until he caught a glimpse of her scars, it had seemingly awakened his forgotten memories.

Toshinori wrapped his arm around her shoulders and stared at her softly. "I won't force you to speed through your own memories, I want you to know that you can be comfortable around me with these memories of yours Inko. I don't care what happened in the past because that doesn't define who you are. It's the you that you are in this moment, that I care about." He whispered softly.

Inko could only stare at Toshinori with wide eyes, tears starting to build up within her eyes before she looked away from him. Inko shifted a little in her seat as she tried to avoid looking at him. Toshinori sighed softly, it made her think that he was going to just leave the living room, and leave her alone. Feeling as if he had just bore his heart out to her and even though they had made the deal, he must have felt like she was still unwilling to share.

Yet, what she had felt instead was what she hadn't expected from the man.

Toshinori had set the tea cup down before shifting a bit on the couch and pulled Inko down with him, as they just laid on the couch. His one arm wrapped behind his head while the other was wrapped around Inko's shoulders, holding the green haired woman close to his side. "Inko, I want you to know that no matter what you tell me, it'll never change my opinion of you. You are important to me, that much I know for sure even without knowing of your past fully. You are someone I never want to lose, someone I always want to be near and see smiling. Telling me your story will heal you and make you feel so much lighter. That much I know, if you need to stop in your tale, then you can stop until you have regained your composure."

Inko could only look up at him, her eyes still wide and her tears remained unshed. How could he be so understanding in the first place? Was it because of his sister? Even though he had just remembered her in that moment? Burying her face against his side, Inko let the tears roll down her cheeks, feeling his hand rubbing her shoulder made her cry harder. God, why did it have to be like this? Why did he have to be so understanding?

Why did it have to hurt so much knowing that he would never love her back in the first place?

So many emotions were rushing through her body that she never knew were there in her heart. Inko knew that once she tells him her story that he may think different of her. Maybe he'd only pity her, no, she didn't want anyone's pity. It hurt enough to know that she would have these reminders for the rest of her life, that no matter what she did, or what she would do, there would be no way to remove these scars.

"Inko?" Toshinori's voice sounded concern, yet it was soft as he just kept rubbing her shoulder. It seemed that he was more concerned about her tears than her past at this point, just staring at her. She knew he was staring, she could feel his blue orbs looking at her… pools of blue filled with warmth and compassion and that just made Inko want to cry harder and harder. "Inko, what is wrong?" asked Toshinori.

"Once I tell you, you may want to get rid of me." Inko whispered.

"I won't."

"You will-"

"Inko." Toshinori's voice went stern, causing her to look up at him. Eyes narrowed in a serious stare, the blue of his eyes glowed so brightly that she was reminded of an electrical storm as he gazed right at her. It almost made her wonder if thunder was his quirk but knew that if that was the case he could have shocked her by now. "I will be the judge of what my actions will be, and I know for sure that no matter what you say, that no matter what was done in the past, it won't change what I do around you. I would never throw you away, you are not garbage, and you are a living breathing person who I value more than anything in this world."

Inko blushed at his words. How could he just say that so casually yet at the same time maintaining his calm yet serious gaze on her. How could he just stare at her like that, as if she was something that he would gladly give his life for? Inko took a deep breath as she asked "Where do you want me to start?"

"The beginning would be good." Toshinori said with a soft smile on his face. Turning his gaze away as he looked up at the ceiling. It seemed that he was going to wait for her to get through her story, for that she was grateful. Unlike Toshinori, she wasn't just reliving the memories all at once so to speak. His memories were flashes that had just seemed to go through his mind in a moment and he was sorting them out at the same time.

Yet with her, they were memories that would just seem to pop up and out of nowhere. It was something that she had no control though maybe it was because she didn't have anyone that she could fully confide in about her past. It was after all, a hard topic.

"It started about five years ago, I was about seventeen when I first met him…"

 _Inko was walking down the halls of her high school. It was a quiet day that was for sure though she couldn't help but let out a small smile as she looked outside. Today, she was meeting with Mitsuki and her new boyfriend. It seemed that Mitsuki's boyfriend Masaru, had a friend that he wanted her to meet. It had her a little nervous though, Inko couldn't help but be a little excited. She hoped that he was indeed a nice man though at the same time she had it in her head that something was going to happen._

 _It had been like that since that suicide a year ago, for a while it was the talk of the city, though no one really knew much about what had happened or who it was that found the body._

 _Inko sighed softly as she looked out the window, wondering what would happen. Honestly, she wanted to open up a café, just wanting to enjoy her life and bake for people to see them smile. Oh, she had so many ideas for a café though she couldn't help but wonder what she should call it._

 _"Inko!" shouted a voice, causing Inko to turn her head and stare at her friend with a smile. Walking behind her was a tall man with short spikey light hair that made Inko think it was near white. He had thick black framed glasses that hid a pair of reddish brown eyes. Inko wondered if this was the new boyfriend._

 _Yet, the man next to him? Inko felt her heart thus gently in her chest. He was a handsome man that was for sure. Medium length black hair and matching black eyes. Inko saw him stare at her and she couldn't help but shiver slightly. Though she wasn't sure if it was desire or from something else. He just seemed to stare at her, not sure why it was though she had a feeling that she would find out._

 _"Inko, finally found you!" Mitsuki said with a soft smile on her face. "Inko, this is my boyfriend Masaru-" She said as she made a gesture to the man with the glasses, only for Inko to interrupt her._

 _"I know, you've at least told me his name before." Inko said with a giggle._

 _"Oh quiet you!" Mitsuki said with a laugh only to turn to the other man as she said "And this is his friend Hisashi."_

 _"Hello." Hisashi said with a polite bow before grabbing a hold of Inko's hand and kissed the back of it. She wasn't sure why that was the case, though she felt her face flush when he did that simple little action. Inko just looked at her friend before turning back to Hisashi. "I'm new here, I was hoping to make some good friends but I didn't think I would find a woman such as yourself." He said with a chuckle._

 _Inko just blinked before turning to Mitsuki. Her friend gave her a thumbs up and a big grin on her face. It seemed that her friend had wanted to set her up with Hisashi, nothing out of the norm for her though her friend also had a habit of teasing the green haired teen. That was normal though at this point._

 _Turning her gaze back to Hisashi, she said "Hello, I'm Inko." She had a small smile on her face as she introduced herself, not really a fan of using honorifics like she should be using._

 _"Wonderful name to boot." Hisashi said with a chuckle before he said "I think I'd love to take you out to dinner, would that be alright with you?"_

 _Inko just stared at him. She wasn't sure if it was if she was honest with herself. A man that she had just met, asked her out on a date. She got to meet Hisashi and yet he was already asking her out. It was strange yes, though she knew that something was going to come out of this. No matter if it was good or bad, Inko knew that she wanted to give it a try. After all, what was the worst thing that could happen? He'd stop calling her afterwards?_

 _Taking a deep breath, Inko just gave him a small smile as she said "That sounds lovely."_

 _Hisashi just grinned as he nodded his head as he said "Alright, let's go shall we? I think there is a nice restaurant around here that we could go to." Inko just smiled as she walked with the raven haired man. Leaving her now grinning friend and her slightly confused boyfriend before they themselves had left so they could enjoy their own date._

"At the time, I just thought that he was the sweetest man out there. The first couple weeks of dating him were magical to say the least." Inko whispered softly, burying her face against his side as she let out a soft sigh. The pain of their first meeting well, it was small but it still hurt. He had been so sweet before and when he had changed, it made her think at the time that she had done something to make him suddenly change so drastically.

"What do you think made him change?" asked Toshinori.

"I'm not really sure myself. All I knew was that I was enjoying the time I had with him. He didn't really start his violent nature until week three of our relationship and I wished that I had listened to the warning signs in my head around then. Maybe then I wouldn't have been in the mess for as long as I was." Inko whispered softly before looking up at Toshinori, wondering if he was still listening to her.

"I won't lie, I wished you weren't either but if it wasn't for that night in the bar, I wouldn't have met you. Which I am still grateful every day." Toshinori said with a chuckle before he looked down at her, his smile was small but soft and he made a gesture for her to continue.

 _Inko was making her way home to her apartment that night. Her family had managed to get her, her own apartment and were willing to pay for it thanks to all the hard work that she had been doing at her jobs lately, along with keeping up with her school work. She had managed to take some extra courses over the last few months so she could open up her own café and was so close to earning enough to buy the building that would be her future._

 _So, as a way to celebrate, Inko had invited Hisashi to her apartment for some dinner. She figured that it would be a nice way to celebrate by cooking for him. He had taken her to mostly fast food places and honestly, she was rather sick of it. All she wanted was to enjoy some time with her boyfriend and her parents wanted to meet him. Though when she had asked him, he would refuse saying that it wasn't necessary._

 _Frowning at those words, Inko had just asked if he could at least meet them once and he just told her that he'd 'think about it' but that was it._

 _Shaking her head, the young woman made her way up the stairs to her unit before unlocking the door and made her way into the unit and went to the kitchen. Hisashi would be here soon so she wanted to be sure that everything was perfect for him._

 _Giggling at the thought, Inko had started to cut up some of the veggies for stew when she heard a knock at her door. "Oh, Hisashi." Inko said with a smile before making her way to the door and opened it. He had a big smile on his face before walking into her apartment. "Hello Inko, what did you want to talk about?" He asked with a tilt of his head._

 _"Well, I'm close to buying a building I want to get for a café I want to open up."_

 _"Why?"_

 _"Because I love baking and to make people smile! A smile makes any day a pleasant one!" Inko said with her smile still in place._

 _"Meh, why bother? I don't think you can handle something like that Inko. Plus, I've had a few of your baked goods before and they aren't all that great." Hisashi said as he sat at her kitchen table. Inko could only frown at his words. Everyone else that's had her baked goods always enjoyed it so why was he being so mean about it? "Anyway, are we ordering out?"_

 _"I thought I'd make stew for us tonight." Inko said as she went to the kitchen to finish up cooking dinner. It was strange, she's only baked for him once or twice and yet he already hated her baking? Maybe he'd like her cooking instead of baking. At least, she was sure that would be the case. After all, many people loved that as well, so it had to mean something right? Letting out a soft sigh, Inko added "Also, my parents are coming down next weekend, they really want to meet you so I'm hoping you'll be here for them."_

 _"I don't want to meet them Inko, I've told you this before." He said with a groan._

 _"I know, but still. It'd be rude for you not to meet them once at the very least. It's the least you can do for me can't you? You love me don't you?" Inko said with a frown. She had set aside the knife as she started to set the veggies within the boiling water, along with the broth. Just as she was about to open her mouth to ask him if he wanted a drink, Inko screamed in pain as she felt something burning at her back._

 _Falling over from the pain, the young woman could feel hot tears rolling down her face as she turned her head, wondering what it was that had burned her until she let out another scream of pain. Something sharp had slashed at her back from her shoulder down to her hip. Then for good measure, the young woman felt more slashes on her shoulder blades and shoulders themselves before she could finally muster the energy to look up over her shoulder. Standing there was Hisashi, holding a knife and embers just at the corners of his lips. "Hi… Hisashi?" Inko managed to choke out through the tears._

 _"I told you. I don't want to meet them. Better yet, don't tell them anything about our lives or even see them anymore. I don't want you to have anything to do with them anymore." Hisashi said, a smirk on his face as he lifted his hand and showed her the knife that was stained in blood. Her blood. "Or else, I'll have to discipline you again. After all, a dog needs to learn to obey their master."_

 _Inko's eyes widened from that as she stared at the knife. He hadn't just used his quirk on her, but he had used a knife of all things. Inko didn't think that she could ever deal with something like this from someone that had claimed to love her. If you loved someone, you wouldn't do something like that to someone. "Hisashi why did you…"_

 _"Did I fucking stutter?! I won't have you near your parents again! I'll have to work out a new schedule for you so I know where you are at all times of the day. Don't worry, it'll only take a little while until you adjust to your new life." Hisashi said with a crazy smile on his face as he walked away. Still holding the knife in his hand. "Oh, by the way… if you fuck up on dinner I'll have to give you a punishment." Hisashi said with a laugh._

 _Inko could only sob softly, how could this have happened? How did he go so crazy and just up and attack her like this? Was it her fault that this had happened?_

"After that day, it was nothing but a nightmare. Every time I would mess up, he would beat me and cut me with a knife. The same one really. He's never really let it out of his sight and… and I…" Inko started to choke up on her tears. It seemed that just remembering it was the worst thing that she could think on. Even though she hadn't told him everything, she felt like she had told him enough for the most part.

"Inko, if he was that abusive, how did you get away?" Toshinori asked with a frown on his face, now staring at her.

"I was hoping you wouldn't ask that." Inko whispered softly.

"Humor me please." He asked.

Inko sighed softly, it wasn't much though she knew that she had to at least say something to the blonde man. He didn't look at her any differently, no pity but just concern and worry. "I made him a special dinner the last night I was with him. I had everything prepared to make sure I could make my escape. Even after I opened my café, I couldn't really get away." Inko said softly, her hand tightly gripping onto Toshinori's shirt as if she was afraid to let go of him. Thinking that if she did, that he would fade away or make a break for it. "After he ate, I saw that he was falling asleep and had told him that maybe it was time for bed. He was a little dopey so to speak, since I had drugged his meal so he would fall asleep."

Toshinori's eyes widened at that, most likely in shock at what she had to do in order to make her escape. "Once we got to the bedroom, he wanted… wanted too…" Inko blushed a little before she buried her face against his chest and shivered slightly. At first, it seemed that Toshinori had thought that she was cold as he just rubbed her arms quickly in the hopes to build up warmth, until she felt his hand stop, and pulled her closer. "We didn't though, just as he was trying to remove his pants, he passed out. I had most of my stuff moved to Mitsuki's home before hand and he never knew nor noticed. I only had the last bit of my items with me in a bag and left a note telling him that I left and wasn't coming back. That we were over. I don't regret leaving him but I regret being with him. Because of him, my body is covered in disgusting scars that I can never be rid of."

"Inko…" Toshinori whispered softly, about to say more until Inko beat him to it.

"No! I know I can never have anyone love me anymore because of these scars. They're ugly and make me unappealing! Nothing will change that, I know that and I've come to terms with it!" With that, she jumped out of his arms and ran to the bedroom, locking the door behind her. Toshinori frowned a little as he pushed himself to sit up and stared at where Inko was.

He didn't know what to do, but he knew that he would have to give Inko some time to herself. For now, this was all he could do for her.

"Inko… I had hoped that this would heal you, not make it worse." He whispered softly.


	15. That's Why I Love You

Toshinori sighed softly, it had been two weeks since he saw Inko's laugh and smile. It seemed that when she shared her story, it had hurt her more than helped. It seemed that bringing up her past had only caused all the progress he made with her to revert back. Or at least, made her believe that her scars are her downfall. The reasons why he wouldn't love her.

 _'I have to do something for her… what can I do though?'_ He thought to himself with a frown.

Crossing his arms, he decided to make his way out to his balcony and called up Shouta. If anyone could give him a solid answer, then it was him. After all, the man was rather honest and would do what he could to help Toshinori while at the same time being rather… blunt.

"What do you want Toshinori?" grumbled Shouta.

"I need help with something." Toshinori said with a sigh.

"What is it? Hurry up I have a date tonight with Hizashi." Shouta mumbled.

"Inko finally told me her past… at least, after I told her mind when I remembered Miyoko-"

"Wait!" Shouta said, his voice anything but tired but pure utter shock. "You… you finally remember her?" asked Shouta, his voice rather confused, shocked and maybe a bit happy. It sounded like this was something that Shouta and Hizashi had been waiting for, the one thing they knew but could never tell the blonde hero about his twin because it had most likely would have caused him more pain or because his mind refused to remember because of the pain.

"I do… I saw Inko's scars and that was how I remembered. At least I remembered bits and pieces and opened the drawer. I still have to call my aunt later to tell her. But anyway back on track here…"

"Right, so what do you need help on?" Shouta asked, sounding back to normal.

Toshinori sighed softly, telling him how Inko doesn't think anyone could love her because of her scars. That her scars make her ugly because they mare her skin with past reminders of what she had been through. After her story, she had pretty much broke down and locked herself away and wouldn't allow him near her thinking he would think so little of her. Once he was done with his tale, Shouta hummed softly on the other side of the line only to go "Oh, okay I have an idea. You want her to know that she is loved right?"

"Of course but no matter what I say it doesn't work." Toshinori said with a sigh.

"Have you told her that you love her?" Shouta pointed out as he asked.

"Uh…" Toshinori winced at that, no he hadn't told Inko that he loved her. How could he? Sure, as All Might he could do it without any problem. He had more confidence as his hero persona. But as himself? He had none whatsoever. So, how could he tell the woman he loved that he does indeed love her more than anything in the whole world?

"You didn't did you?" Shouta grumbled with a sigh.

"No, no I didn't. I mean, I can't." Toshinori sighed.

"Idiot. Look, you'll have to get past your own insecurities and tell her. If you can't tell her by words alone, think of a way that you know she would appreciate it." How would she… wait. He knew a way that he could do that, it was a little nerve wrecking since for this, he would know that he was performing in front of her and would be facing her since knew for a fact that if he couldn't face her while he did that, then she would think that he was just lying to her face.

Toshinori nodded to himself as he said "Okay, I think I have an idea. It's the one thing that Inko knows I would never do for anyone else because well… I don't like to perform." Toshinori blushed at the thought of singing in front of Inko, and he already had a song in mind, though he just hoped that it would be enough for her to know that he does love her. Scars or not, he would never have any feelings for her but love and love alone.

Taking a deep breath, the young man calmly said "I just hope that it'll work."

"And waste all of those guitar lessons you had over here? May as well use them to win the heart of your woman." Shouta snickered.

"Shut up." Toshinori groaned, his face tinting pink at the thought of singing for Inko. Though if it was the only way for her to know then he was going to have to suck it up. Though, he'd have to go over the lyrics before he sang it to her. Since it is originally in English he'll have to make sure that he sang it in Japanese so Inko could understand him. God, this was going to be a long process but the end result would be worth it.

This may be the only way to save her heart from the same fate as his sisters. "Shouta, do you think I could make Inko happy?" asked Toshinori.

"Honestly? From what you have told Hizashi and myself about her situation I believe you would. She needs this Toshi. She needs to know that she is loved by someone. Someone who she can place her trust in and someone who only he could ever understand her pain and suffering. In a way, you can understand her pain because you now remember what your sister has gone through. You know Toshinori, you know her pain better than any of us and even her best friend. If anyone is best suited for her, it is you over all."

Toshinori couldn't help but blink at that. How was it that his friend who was normally so bored and blunt could come up with someone such as that? Shaking his head, Toshinori smirked as he said "I think I'm starting to understand why Hizashi loves you so much."

"Shut up about my love life. Focus on your own, anyway I have to go. I'm gonna be late, if I don't hear from you then I think I know how it all went." With that, he hung up leaving the blonde haired man alone to his own thoughts.

Toshinori took a deep breath as he looked at his phone and looked up the song lyrics that he wanted to use for Inko. He knew that she was still in his bedroom by herself, the only time that she had ever really left was to let him change or to go to work. Even then, she didn't really speak much. It was as if she was a shell of her former-self and that pulled at his heart strings to no end. It hurt him just to see her like that, and he never knew that he could feel like this before.

Taking a deep breath, the young man finished looking up on the lyrics and made his way over to his guitar before picking it up as he made his way over to his bedroom. Double checking his phone, looking at song notes this time around he nodded before shoving his phone in his pocket, putting on silent beforehand. "Inko? May I come in?"

"Sure…" Inko whispered softly the door unlocking before he heard her footsteps. He sighed softly before slinging the guitar over his shoulder and walked in. Inko didn't look up at him that just broke his heart all the more. Frowning, he let out another sigh before he started to strum the strings of his guitar, Inko looked at him, confusion in her eyes before he just kept on playing, his gaze still at her as he played his guitar.

 _You with the sad eyes  
Don't be discouraged  
Oh I realize  
It's hard to take courage  
In a world full of people  
You can lose sight of it all  
The darkness inside you  
Can make you feel so small_

Inko looked up at him, tilting her head a little as Toshinori played the guitar. He sang softly, just staring at her with soft yet nervous eyes. It was odd to be looking at her as he stared down at her. Toshinori sighed softly before he sat down on the side of the bed, turning so he could still stare at her yet his expression never really changed.

 _Show me a smile then,  
Don't be unhappy, can't remember  
When I last saw you laughing_

Toshinori knew that this was odd for him to sing a song for her. This was the first time he ever really sang for the woman but. His heart told him that this was the right thing for her. To let her know that he did indeed love her no matter what she would say, no matter what others told her. His heart was hers and hers alone.

 _This world makes you crazy  
And you've taken all you can bear  
Just call me up  
Cause I'll always be there_

Leaning a little closer to her, Toshinori wanted her to know that she could always depend on him. That no matter what was on her mind, that he would be there for her. To always pick her up when she was down, to always make her smile and to pick up the broken pieces of her heart.

 _And I see your true colors  
Shining through  
And I see your true colors  
And that's why I love you  
So don't be afraid to let them show  
Your true colors  
True colors are beautiful,_

Toshinori felt his heart beating quickly in his chest. Blood rushing to his face as he finally said it. HE finally said that he loved her. He just hoped that she understood, that no matter how she looked, it wouldn't change a thing about his love for her. That he would never, ever stop loving her. Staring at her, he saw that her eyes were wide with unshed tears. It made him think of sparkling emeralds.

 _I see your true colors  
Shining through  
I see your true colors  
And that's why I love you  
So don't be afraid to let them show  
Your true colors  
True colors are beautiful,  
Like a rainbow_

Taking a deep breath, his eyes closing for a brief moment before he scooted closer to Inko and stared at her softly. Though even though his body trembled from his nerves starting to become raw, his blue eyes shined with nothing but warmth and love for the green haired woman. A love that only one would find if they had found their only love. The one that they were meant to have in their life.

 _Whooooa_

 _Ooooh can't remember, when I last saw you laughing._

 _Oooooh whoa_

How long had it been since he saw Inko laugh? How long since he had seen her smile? It had felt like a life time since he had seen her smile or laugh. It broke his heart to see the usually smiling Inko so sad like this. Letting out a sigh, Toshinori stared at the blue haired woman and saw that she was now leaning toward him, not overly close but enough that if he leaned closer to her that he could… easily kiss her.

 _This world makes you crazy  
And you've taken all you can bear  
Just call me up  
Because I'll always be there_

The world can make you go crazy that was for sure. Though in his case, it made him crazy in love with her. She was the one who held his heart, the keeper of his heart. Someone who could easily protect his heart, or easily destroy it. That much he knew for sure, he just hoped that Inko knew that it would be the only thing that she would never have to ask for is his love.

 _And I'll see your true colors  
Shining through  
I see your true colors  
And that's why I love you  
Don't be afraid to let them show  
Your true colors  
True colors are beautiful,  
Like a rainbow.  
Oooooh  
Like a rainbow._

 _Oooooh whoa_

Once the song was done, Toshinori leaned closer and saw that Inko had more tears building up in her eyes. He just gave her a soft smile as he said "Inko, I love you. You are the only one that I could ever, really love."

"You… you do? But… the scars." Inko whispered softly, her voice sounding a little strained from her tears.

"I don't care about the scars Inko." Toshinori whispered softly, pulling his guitar off of his shoulders before he stared at her once again. Toshinori's eyes were still soft, still full of love and yet he saw that Inko was still having her doubts. Reaching out, he gently placed a hand on her cheek as he whispered "I will show you… that my words are nothing but the truth Inko. I love you, more than anyone has ever loved another person." With that, he pressed his lips against hers.

Inko had let out a little gasp before she returned the kiss. Her hands tightly gripping onto his shirt, pulling him closer to her. He hadn't expected such a reaction from her, though then again maybe she needed this. Needed to know that he did truly mean his words for her. "Inko…" He whispered before she felt him tugging at his shirt. He chuckled breathlessly before obeying her and just removed his shirt. Before saying "Inko, let me see your scars before we go further."

Inko stared with wide eyes, almost seeming to be afraid. "Do… do you promise not to cringe?" She asked softly.

"I do." He answered her honestly, even though he had only seen her back, he knew that he needed to see the rest.

Inko nodded before she pulled her shirt off, struggling a little before managing to remove her top and looked away from Toshinori. Avoiding eye contact at any costs and he couldn't help but stare with wide eyes. She had a few scars on her shoulders, just going over her shoulders and near her breasts. A couple burns on her right side near her hip and more slashes on the other. How it was that no one had ever noticed such a thing before? Turning his gaze to her arms, he saw that she had more slashes there, more reason for her to want to wear long sleeves he supposed.

Shaking his head, Toshinori pulled Inko close to his chest as he whispered "You are still beautiful Inko, scars or no scars." He whispered before kissing her deeply. Throwing in as much love, and passion into the kiss to show her, to let her know and feel that he did love her with all of his heart. He knew that he was being rather bold in this case but, maybe it was something that Inko needed.

"Toshi… I love you." Toshinori smiled hearing those words. In fact, he was pretty sure that his heart had flown right out of his chest to the heavens hearing those words. He smiled gently at her as he heard her whisper "I love so so much Toshinori."

"I love you, and more." Toshinori whispered before he kissed her. He wanted to make sure that her night was one that she would never forget. That she knew, and would always know that she was loved no matter what happened in her life. It would always be a magical night for the two of them. That much he would always carry on in his heart and hoped and prayed that Inko would as well.

* * *

Yawning softly, Toshinori rubbed his eyes as he slowly started to wake up the next morning. Blinking sleepily, he felt something pressing against his side only to smile gently at Inko. He saw that she was sound asleep herself. Her arm wrapped around his chest and her head resting on his shoulder. His own arm wrapped around her shoulders as he pulled her closer to him.

Most likely to help keep her warm, plus he loved the warmth that her body provided.

Giving her a soft smile, Toshinori shifted under the sheets and kissed her forehead. He loved this woman and to him, last night was indeed magical. One that he was sure that he would never forget if he was honest. Though he was happy that Inko seemed to have enjoyed herself, he figured that it was something that she needed more than anyone in this world.

Though, did this mean that they were together? That they were official? Hm… so many puzzling questions and yet no answers as of yet. He'll have to wait until Inko woke up and they had something to eat. Yawning once again, Toshinori looked down at Inko and with his free hand pulled up the covers a little more to protect her from the chill.

It had taken some coping for her to accept that he did indeed, love her even with the scars but it seemed that she had at least started to come to terms that he did mean his words.

"Inko, I'll make sure that you'll want for nothing." He whispered softly before looking up at the ceiling. He knew that this was going to be a long day, though now he just had to make sure that she knew that none of this was a dream.

Even though he really wanted to get up and stretch, he worried that Inko would think that he just took off even though this was his apartment. He chuckled at the thought before he heard a soft groan from Inko. Turning his gaze, he saw the green haired woman slowly starting to open her eyes and looked sleepily up at Toshinori. "Toshi?" She whispered softly.

"Morning Inko." He said with a chuckle.

"Um… last night it wasn't…"

"No, it wasn't a dream. It really happened." He pulled her closer to him and gave her a soft kiss. "Just like how me saying that I love you wasn't a dream either."

"I love you too…" He smiled at her words and figured that life was looking up for the both of them now. He just hoped that they both could live in peace though, he'd have to call his friend to see if they found Hisashi at all yet. He would make sure that the man would go to jail for abuse to Inko and all that he had done to her.

"You love me though, even with the scars?" asked Inko with a frown.

"Even with the scars." Toshinori answered her, pulling her a little closer as he added "Plus, scars aren't always a bad thing Inko. They are just a sign that you have survived an ordeal, and are a sign that you are truly a strong woman." He kissed her, just wanting to enjoy his time with the woman he loved. They defiantly not leaving the apartment today.


	16. Mitsuki's Surprise

Inko's thoughts were clouded today. No, not just today, more like a few weeks now. It had been that way since Toshinori had finally confessed to her that he did love her. At first she had thought that it was nothing more than a cruel prank but, she also remembered that Toshinori wasn't one to do that to people. He was an honest man, even though she had kept rejecting it because of her own thoughts that he couldn't love her.

Then, when he had sang her that song? It made her heart race at the thought that he meant his words. After all, he was staring at her, his cheeks tinted pink from a combination of how shy he is when it comes to playing for people and the fact that he was singing a love confession.

Afterwards, when he finally got to see the rest of her scars… he didn't flinch away. Didn't grimace at how ugly her scars were, no more than that. He just stared at them as if they were a part of her. How he said that her having those scars weren't to be seen as anything but that she had survived such an ordeal and that she was stronger for it.

Was she really stronger for it?

Giving a small smile, Inko felt that his words were nothing but the truth for it. Then of course, there was the night and day of love and passion that the two shared. They hadn't left the apartment at all that day and she didn't regret it. After all, why would she regret that she felt love, that Toshinori, a man that at first had just been a total stranger who had just happened to save her from her ex, only for it to end up becoming friendship and now… love.

She couldn't help but feel the blush creeping onto her cheeks as she let out a soft giggle. This was the first time she had ever felt such a thing and it made her heart beat quickly in her chest. Made her feel so light, as if a heavy burden was finally lifted from her shoulders.

Toshinori of course had changed a few things that he would do around her. He had told her that he had fallen for her long ago, but he hadn't been able to show her thinking that it would have only hurt her of how quickly it was being rushed. Now, he would just do simple things around her, but it was still enough to make her smile.

When he would get home from a late night, the first thing he did after removing his shoes was to make his way to see her and kiss her cheek, her forehead or even just her lips. Whatever he could reach at the time. Or, when she herself would have a long day at the café, and she was exhausted, he would draw her a nice hot bubble bath and let her have a moment to herself before he would go back to whatever it was he was doing before she returned. Which, of course was normally either cleaning, cooking or doing some paper work for the office.

How was it that she hadn't met him so much sooner? Toshinori was great, he loved her and she loved him. Though, why was it that even though she also loved All Might, that her life still felt complete in the end?

Shaking her head, the young woman set the pastries into the oven before she started her way to the front of the store only to see a floral delivery person. "I'm looking for Midoriya Inko."

"That's me." Inko said with a frown.

"Here you go, just sign here please." Inko frowned as she accepted a crystal vase that was filled with a dozen or so red roses. Sighing the paper that she had accepted her delivery, Inko accepted the roses and looked at the card that was attached. The roses themselves were beautiful, and she couldn't help but smile gently at them. Yet it had her a little puzzled as to would send her roses.

Opening the card, she smiled a little more at what the card said.

 _To my darling Inko, I hope these roses make your day as bright as you make my life. I love you with my heart and soul. I'll see you tonight at home, love Toshinori._

Inko giggled a little, a pink dusting her cheeks as she looked at the card a little more before turning to one of her workers as they tilted their head in confusion. "Who are the roses from Midoriya-san?"

"Oh, they're from my boyfriend." Inko said with a giggle.

"You have a boyfriend?" asked her employee.

"Yeah, you've seen him. The tall man with messy blonde hair with two long locks jagging out?" Inko said as she tried to best describe him before adding "He kinda resembles a sunflower."

"Oh him! I can see why, he is a handsome man. You are so lucky Midoriya-san." The worker said with a smile.

"I think so too." Inko said with a soft smile before making her way to her office. Setting the vase on her table as she let out a soft sigh of content. How was it that Toshinori knew what to cheer her up so easily? This was indeed something that she wasn't used too, that much was for sure. Yet, she still wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

Smiling softly at the roses once again, Inko couldn't help but feel her heart soar at the sight. Toshinori really did want to show her that he did love her. Even by the simplest of things, and that just made her love him all the more. Though, she just hoped that this happiness could last forever and ever.

That's what she really wanted, was for this to last. If it was a dream well, she hoped that she never woke up from such a wonderful dream.

As she made her way out of her office, she saw that it was around her break anyway. Smiling to herself, Inko walked back into her office and grabbed her lunch for the day before going to the dining area and blinked as she saw a certain ash-blonde woman. "Mitsuki?" Inko said with surprise.

"Inko!" Mitsuki said as she hugged her friend and smiled happily. "I've been concerned for you, I haven't heard from you in weeks! Yagi hasn't kept you locked up that whole time has he? Do I need to talk to him?"

"Mitsuki breathe!" Inko said before letting out a soft sigh. Okay, so she should have told her friend about what has been going on. Though she knew that today was going to be the only time that she could at least tell Mitsuki a bit of what has happened lately. "I'll tell you what's been going on. I'm on my break anyway." Inko gave her a small smile before walking with her friend to the dining area. Out of sight and hearing range for the customers.

"Okay, so tell me what has been going on?" asked Mitsuki with a frown on her face.

Inko looked at her friend as she took a bite out of her sandwich and sank in her seat a bit. "Well, to make a long story short, Toshi saw my scars and he kind of freaked out." Inko said with a frown on her face, her face tinting pink at the reminder that even though he hadn't seen everything at the time because of his shock at seeing her scars, but really he was mentally seeing his sister's scars.

"What do you mean he freaked out?"

Inko sighed softly before she took another bite. "Well, I don't know if I should really be telling you this but… well it turns out that he had a twin sister."

"Twin sister?" Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

"Yeah, she was in an abusive relationship like I was and well, she didn't handle it well and took her own life. Toshi found her body and he ended up going into shock, losing his memory of her all together." Inko explained with a frown on her face. In a way, she felt bad for Miyoko, if she had lived or at least had her brother help her then maybe she would be alive. There had to have been something that could have been done though at the same time she wasn't sure.

"How long ago was that?" asked Mitsuki.

"I think he said about six years ago." Inko answered her.

"Strange, I think I heard something about that. I'm not really sure though but since it's such an old case it'd most likely be cold." Mitsuki said with a frown on her face. "Did he say who she was dating?"

"Someone named 'Takahashi-san' I think he said. I'm not really sure why you want to know in the first place but I don't think it would matter anyway. Whoever this guy was he's most likely already in another relationship." Inko said with a frown before finishing off half of her sandwich before she went on to the other half.

"Think about it though Inko. Even though he just remembered his sister, the memory itself must still be painful in a way. Even though he has redeemed himself in some way by saving you from yourself, it's still there. Maybe he'd feel better knowing that the man that in a sense, caused his sister's death is behind bars or at least gonna be served." Mitsuki pointed out before leaning in her seat a bit. Inko couldn't help but stare at her friend before letting out a sigh. How was it that her friend made so much sense at this point? Sure, it would bring some kind of closure for Toshinori though she wasn't sure if it would even work in the first place.

"Anyway, what else happened?" asked Mitsuki.

"I told him about what happened with me and Hisashi." Inko whispered as she looked away. "I had an episode where I kept repeating that no one would love me because of the scars and stopped talking to Toshi for a few weeks."

"Then what?"

Inko blushed a little. "He sang to me his confession, that he loved me and we're together now." Inko whispered shyly.

"Oh, then what you guys fucked or something?" Mitsuki said as she sipped at her tea. Inko just blushed all the more and Mitsuki's mouth all but hit the table top before grinning widely. "Oh my fucking god you did! Inko thatta girl! I knew you could do it! You have officially moved on from that asshole and now is so much happier than I've ever seen you before!" The ash-blonde woman said with a big grin on her face as she giggled giddily. If Inko wished for anything in that moment, it was that she could sink through the floor and make a break for it. She wanted to hide and run or something. Anything to get away from this conversation. Oh god…

"Mitsuki please…" Inko said, covering her face hoping that would give her some form of protection from her friend.

"Inko, in all seriousness, I am happy for you." Inko peeked at her friend over her hands. "Really, I am. If anyone deserves happiness it's you over all. Now, I have some news for you." Mitsuki had a soft smile on her face. It seemed that her smile was soft, a far cry from what it usually is and it had Inko a little curious as to what it is that had her looking like that. "I'm pregnant, few months in really…" Inko stared with wide eyes and almost squealed in delight. "I just found out last week and, I won't lie I'm scared of being a mom but… I'm still happy. I'm having a baby with the man I love." Mitsuki said with a giggle.

"I'm so happy for you Mitsuki!" Inko said with a smile.

"Thank you Inko, now you and Yagi need to work on a baby so mine has a friend." Mitsuki said with a soft laugh.

"I don't know Mitsuki, we just started dating and well… um…"

"I know, no need to rush these things. I hope he isn't, right?" Mitsuki said with a serious look on her face.

"No, I mean yeah we've already slept together and now we share the same bed otherwise, but he's still sweet. He sent me roses today while he was working." Inko said with a soft, fond smile on her face.

"That's so sweet!" Mitsuki said with a smile.

After that, the two woman mostly spent the time talking about Mitsuki's pregnancy and what she was going to do after she had the baby. She even already had a name picked out though because she was already a few months in, it would be best to have her wedding after the baby was born. Inko though, couldn't help but feel a little envious if she was honest. She loved children and would love to have one. Though, she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever have a child of her own one day. Maybe, though for now she was happy just being with Toshinori, and knew that she didn't want to rush anything fearing that if it went too fast that she would either freak herself out, or worse yet, freak out her boyfriend to the point that he would end up leaving her.

"So, what name do you wanna use for your baby?" Asked Inko.

"Oh, I'm thinking of Katsuki if it's a boy." Mitsuki said with a smile. Inko could only smile in return as they went back to their conversation. Long into the afternoon or at least until Inko had to get back to work.

* * *

Inko made it home via cab, though if she was honest about that it still made her nervous about being in a cab again since her accident. Yet, it was smooth sailing from there on out. Making it up to the top floor, Inko walked in and frowned when she didn't see Toshinori. Tilting her head to the side in confusion, she couldn't help but wonder why he wasn't home yet.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman removed her shoes and made her way to the living room just to kick back a few before making some dinner.

Maybe Toshinori had a late night at the office. Or maybe there was some paper work that he had to do from a late hero's shift or something along those lines. It was still strange to her though, strange not to see him home before she was. But, it gave her some time to think. Her best friend was pregnant, and having a baby, then they would get married afterwards.

Would she ever have a day like that? A day where she would one day become a mother? A bride even? Closing her eyes for a brief moment, Inko couldn't help but dream and picture herself dressed all in white one day. Though would her groom still be Toshinori, would their love even survive such a thing? Shaking her head, the young woman knew that she shouldn't think so far ahead. That would only freak out the tall man to the point that he would leave her.

Looking up at the time, Inko sighed as she pushed herself up and made her way to the kitchen and started to get to work. May as well treat Toshinori to some beef stew that would be nice. And of course for dessert some apple pie that she had made the other day.

Humming a soft tune under her breath, the young woman grabbed some broth, beef and some veggies to go along with it. Smiling, she couldn't help but think about everything that had came in her life lately. So far, there had been no sign of Hisashi, it had seemed as if he had just up and disappeared and she knew that it was rather odd for that to happen. Where could he have gone in the first place? She knew that he wouldn't be allowed near her thanks to those photos but it still freaked her out still just thinking about it.

Shuddering a little, the young woman hoped and prayed with all of her heart that they would find him and arrest him. Maybe keep him in jail for everything that he had done to her thus far. Even for the abuse that he had put her through.

Soon, Inko felt something going over her eyes and heard a chuckle. "Guess who?" Said a familiar voice, causing Inko to smile gently.

"Toshi, you're late." Inko said with a giggle.

"I know, I'm sorry." He pulled his hands away before kissing her cheek. Wrapping his arms around her waist and his head resting atop of hers. "Had a few last minute things at the office so that held me back a bit. Did anything interesting happen today?"

"Oh, yes it did. I got some beautiful flowers today. Lovely red roses." Inko said with a smile on her face.

"Oh? Hm, I wonder who could have sent such a wonderful gift." Toshinori said with a soft chuckle before spinning Inko around a bit and kissed her softly. "I'm happy you loved the gift. I thought you could use something for your office." Toshinori whispered softly before kissing her again. Inko pretty much melted in his arms, feeling so happy and light again. How was it that just a simple kiss like this could have her so light headed? He had to have some kind of quirk that made her putty in his hands though she wouldn't complain.

"Thank you for the roses Toshi." Inko whispered softly.

"You don't need to thank me Inko, though roses do not compare to your beauty." He chuckled a little at that.

"Keep complimenting me like that and I'll be a blushing mess." Inko giggled out softly.

Toshinori smiled before he released Inko from his grasp and looked at what it was that she was making. He tilted his head a little and Inko wondered what was going on through his head right now. There was so many things that she wondered could be going through his mind though just couldn't really figure it out. He just smiled as he kissed her forehead saying "It smells amazing. I'll set the table unless you wanna eat in the living room and we can watch a movie."

"That sounds lovely."

He nodded his head before he walked out of the kitchen and went to get the living room all set up for them to have another movie night. Inko couldn't help but smile softly, she wondered if they would always have happy moments like this. It was nice to have nights like these, with the two of them just enjoying each other's company but, she also couldn't help but wonder if there would be other days where they could just go out and about to enjoy the outdoors or even go out to watch a movie. A concert anything would be nice. Though, for now she was just happy about what they do around each other.

"Oh, Inko by the way how was work for you today besides the roses?" Toshinori asked from the living room.

"Well, I talked to Mitsuki, she got really concerned when I hadn't contacted her and… um… I hope you won't be mad but I told her a bit about Miyoko." Toshinori stopped talking for a moment though a soft sigh escaped his lips.

"I trust her Inko, you don't have to worry. Plus, I bet you had a reason."

"I told her because I mentioned how you acted when you saw my scars, and I also told her that I had finally told you about Hisashi and the like. And, that we're together." Inko said the last part in a slight whisper.

"What?" Toshinori said as he made his way back to the kitchen, it seemed that he hadn't been able to hear her at all.

"I told her that we're together… we are right?" Inko said with a soft blush on her face.

"We are, I wouldn't want it any other way my dear." Toshinori said with a soft smile before scooping her up into his arms and placed his forehead against hers. "You are the woman of my dreams, and I would be so very honoured to be your boyfriend. I love you Inko." Toshinori whispered softly before kissing her again. Inko just smiled, happy tears streaming down her face as she kissed her boyfriend back, wrapping her arms around his neck, tangling her fingers through his blonde locks.

He made her life complete, that was for sure.

* * *

Meanwhile, underground a man stood in the shadows, his face hidden behind a mask as he spoke to another man. "You came to me for something as this? Why is that?" asked the masked man.

"I had heard that you could help me… I want someone back, and I can't do it so long as she is protected by heroes and a man who thinks he can keep her away from me. If I can kill him, then she'll come back to me." Said the other man with a smirk on his face. It was twisted, and deranged though only by a small amount.

The masked man let out a soft hum. Almost as if he was in deep thought, though the other man glared his brown eyes as if he was hoping to get what he wanted. "I want her back and I'll do whatever it takes to get her back." Snarled the other man.

"Very well, I shall help you but you shall never look for me again. Once I give this to you, you are never to return it. It is useless to me anyway, it has a terrible repercussion but again, useless to me." The masked man all but laughed before his hand shot out and grasped the other man's face and glowed a reddish black. A scream echoed through the darkened tunnels.


	17. A Couple's Thoughts

Toshinori sighed softly as he gazed at the pictures of his sister. He knew that he shouldn't blame himself for her death still but, it was still there some days. Sure, he knew that he had in a way, redeemed himself by saving Inko, though he still felt like he could do more. Shaking his head, the young man sat down on the couch as he started to go through the pictures and went to place them in frames that he had bought.

If there was one thing that he knew, it was that he wouldn't allow himself to forget her again. Miyoko was his sister, his twin, and he would never allow himself to forget again. He could never forgive himself if he did.

Staring at Miyoko's smiling face, Toshinori couldn't help but feel a sharp pain in his heart. It still hurt, even though he had only remembered her a little over a month ago now. She had been his best friend, his confidant and yet he had lost her still. Closing his eyes briefly, Toshinori knew that he wouldn't let this go so easily, he wanted to know who it was that had done this to his sister. To make her feel like ending her life was her only escape.

Whoever this Takahashi-san was, he would make sure that he found him and ended him. Shaking his head, Toshinori had to remove those thoughts, killing him wasn't going to bring her back. No, he would allow the justice system to do that for him. He was sure that would be enough… right?

Shaking his head, Toshinori looked over at the bedroom, Inko was still asleep and he knew that she deserved it. There were times where she would just seem rather exhausted though she has also had trouble sleeping as of late. Maybe he could treat her to a nice night out, allow her to relax since they both had the day off. Between both of their jobs, it was hard for them to just go out and enjoy themselves as of late.

Toshinori knew that it would mean a lot to Inko, he wanted to make sure that he treated her differently than Hisashi did with her. He wanted to make sure that she would want for nothing that he would treat her like the queen she deserved to be. Inko deserved to know that she was loved and would have all the love in the world.

Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori couldn't help but wonder what he could do for her. Where she he take her tonight? There had to be a place that they could enjoy each other's company and just be happy with each other. Though, he also knew that he had another thing to plan. One day, he's gonna have to tell Inko about him being All Might.

 _'Though she'll be pissed off when I tell her…'_ Toshinori winced at the idea of Inko being mad. With her quirk and all, she could easily toss things at him, either with or without her quirk or both. Though if she did well, he'd let her do all she wanted to throw at him. It isn't that he 'lied' per say, more like he just dodged telling her the truth. After all, he had been told many times never to allow anyone to know of his other life. Either people knew about his life as Toshinori, or others only knew him as All Might, though only a selective few knew of the truth.

Those people are of course Shouta, Hizashi, Naomasa, the principle from his high school and of course his master. Yet, he wanted Inko to know, he wanted her to know who he really was and of course about his quirk. Yet, he was scared. He didn't want to admit it, but he was scared to let Inko know about the truth. Her thinking that he was crazy, that his quirk wasn't normal in any sense of the word.

He'd allow her to beat him up if she wanted, though he knew that Inko wouldn't want to hurt him too badly even though she had every right to want to hurt him. "Why does everything have to be complicated?" Toshinori whispered softly. If there was one thing that his master never prepared him for, it was women. Then again, not like he had ever planned on being in love in the first place.

Turning his gaze at the bedroom door once again, he saw that it had yet to open. So he knew that Inko was sound asleep.

That would give him enough time to plan something. Maybe a nice candle light dinner? _'That does sound promising for sure. I just hope she'll like it, oh maybe I can get them to play a nice romantic song for us to dance too.'_ thought the blonde with a smile on his face. Yes, that does sound like a fantastic idea, he'd just have to make a few phone calls to make the arrangements that was for sure. Chuckling at the thought, he knew that he had everything in mind, though he just hoped that it would be enough.

Taking a deep breath, he set aside the pictures of his sister and grabbed his cell and started to look up restaurants. Money wasn't an issue for him, he knew that he could easily afford any kind of restaurant for him and Inko to go to. "That looks like a good one for sure." Toshinori said with a smile on his face as he dialed them up and made the arrangements for tonight. Now, all he needed was for Inko to dress up nicely without her knowing of the surprise.

 _'Easier said than done it seems…'_ Toshinori thought to himself, before letting out a soft sigh. Though he couldn't be sure as to what it was that he could tell Inko. It all just seemed as if she was still afraid of losing him even though he had reassured her a few times that he didn't plan on leaving her. After all, he did love her, with all of his heart.

Leaning against his seat, Toshinori couldn't help but think on what more he could do to show Inko that he wouldn't leave her. Wouldn't even think about leaving her. That it was the furthest thing in his head on what he'd ever want to do. He loved her too much to want to leave her.

Well, he would have to hope that tonight was a good way to show her that he'd never leave her. Hm… he'd have to make another call now that he thought about the cause of Inko's fears. Bringing up his contacts, he dialed up his friend. It rang only twice until he heard the line pick up. "Toshinori? What brought on this call?"

"I need to ask you something. How is the case about Hisashi?" asked Toshinori.

"Still hitting a dead end I'm afraid." Said Naomasa with a sigh.

"Damn it." Mumbled Toshinori. Of all the things that he didn't want to hear it was that. Letting out a groan, he asked "What do you have though? Anything at all? There has to be a lead that could lead us to him." Toshinori had thought, hoped, no prayed, that there would be something that would give them an idea as to where the man could be. He needed to be found and of course, brought to justice for his crimes. Though, that may end up including Inko's testimony over what had happened while the two were together.

"From what we have found, it seems that he had copies of the pictures that were taken. And of course the gun that was used that shot Inko. The ballistic markings match, it's from the same gun for sure. So it was Hisashi who shot Inko, though I can't be sure about the crash." Toshinori sighed softly, they had something though but it wasn't everything. They still needed a location though he just couldn't be sure as to what they could use that would help him catch this fucker for all he's done to Inko.

It was starting to piss him off, though he knew that he couldn't allow himself to be angry around Inko. Knowing that if he showed signs of anger, that it may set her off into hysterics and he didn't want that for her. Closing his eyes, Toshinori took a few deep breaths hoping it would calm him down.

"Toshinori, want my best advice?" asked his friend.

"Please."

"Just focus on making her happy, on her knowing that you do mean what you tell her. That all you want is for her to be happy and to know what love really is. From what you have told me, she hasn't felt that in a long time. Just make sure you show her you mean your words instead of just speaking. Don't forget, she was in an abusive relationship for five years, his words were most likely that he 'loved' her but really it was nothing but abuse. To her, actions will speak louder than words." Naomasa said calmly as he explained everything.

Toshinori sighed. He had a point in this. Inko had been through a lot before he entered her life, and he knew that he would have to do something that would show her that he did love her. That no matter what, he would always love her and spend every single day of his life to show her his love. To show her, that his love was genuine.

"Alright, I can do that at least." Toshinori agreed.

"Good, now, if anything comes up I'll let you know, I promise. After all, All Might is the hero on this case, but I'm rather curious. Does she know?"

"No, not yet. I want to tell her but it just hasn't come up yet. I'm just trying to wait for the right moment." Toshinori said with a sigh. God, it was hard to come up with the right time to tell her. That would be another sign that he loved her right? That him telling her his biggest secret that he did love her, by revealing to her his secret quirk and of course on the fact that he was a hero.

"Alright, just don't hold it off for too long now." Naomasa said softly. "Anyway, I have to go, I'll get in contact with you when I can."

"Alright, thanks Naomasa." Toshinori said with a sigh before hanging up the call. God, this was going to be rather complicated, though he just hoped that it would be enough for him to be able keep his mind off of everything that was going on. He knew that he had to focus on Inko more, but in a way this did involve her. Slightly, though maybe he was starting to become rather obsessed over this case. Even though it was about the green haired woman's protection overall.

Groaning, the heels of his hands pressing to his eyes as he leaned back on his seat. Everything was starting to become complicated, and he knew that for a fact. It just seemed like everything was still trying to mess with Inko in some way or another. Though he just couldn't be sure as to why that was. It just felt like there would always be that one problem that would be in the way.

"What am I to do about this?" whispered Toshinori, unsure of anything about the case. He knew that he needed to gather more Intel on it, but he also knew that he had to focus on Inko as well. So many things and yet no answers other than the gun belonging to Hisashi. Though what he didn't know was if the gun was even legally his or if he stole it.

Sighing, he lowered his hands, his eyes still closed as he took a deep breath, mostly trying to think on what he could do while he tried to get his mind off of everything.

Soon, he felt something dragging through his blonde locks, causing him to open his eyes and look up into pools of emeralds. "Inko?" He whispered softly, seeing how she just seemed to smile down at him and ran her fingers through his blonde locks. "I thought you were still asleep." He whispered softly, eyes closing as he leaned into her touch a little.

"I was, but I was feeling a little cold." Inko said with a small blush on her face. Oh, because he wasn't in the bed with her. It was one thing that he had noticed, while he himself found Inko to be rather warm, thus his reasoning for cuddling her as he slept, he had no idea that he was the reason why she stayed warm.

"Sorry Inko, I thought you could use some sleep so I thought I'd go and do something a little productive." Toshinori said with a chuckle. "Was going through everything that I had placed in the drawer with Miyoko's pictures."

"Oh." Inko said before walking around the couch and sat down next to the blonde haired man. "Toshi, think she would have liked me?"

"She would, hell she's been trying to get me to go out with someone a long time." Toshinori chuckled a little more before setting the pictures down and pulled Inko close to his side. "I just still wished I could have done something for her but, I guess he had a bigger hold on her than I did." Toshinori said with a sigh.

"Maybe she didn't want to get you involved, it was her way of protecting you. You did say that you just got your quirk around then so you couldn't really use it right?" Inko said with a frown on her face.

Right, he had just gotten his quirk around then. So it would have made it harder for him though he could harness its power perfectly then. He just needed combat training yet, thinking about it almost made him tremble. This was going to be a long day that was for sure. "So, what are we gonna do today?" asked Inko.

"Oh, I have something planned for us, don't worry." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

* * *

Toshinori had managed to get Inko to dress up and he was surprised that she was wearing the same dress that she wore to the Hero's Gala. Though, as it turns out it was the only dress that she owned. He'd have to fix that one of these days, though for now she still looked beautiful in it. As they walked into the restaurant Inko tugged at Toshinori's arm causing him to look down at her in confusion. "Toshi, this is rather fancy are you sure we can afford it?" Inko asked softly.

"Of course. If I wasn't, I wouldn't have taken us here." Toshinori said with a soft smile on his face. Picking up her hand, Toshinori kissed the back of it causing her to blush softly. "I would do anything to see a smile on your face, no matter the cost." He chuckled softly before walking to the host. "Table one for a Yagi Toshinori."

"Ah yes, Yagi-san, please follow me." The host said with a smile before walking with the couple to a table in the back. The young blonde turned to Inko, and noticed that she had a nervous look on her face. It seemed that she felt rather out of her element. Patting her hand gently, the young woman looked up and saw the soft smile that Toshinori gave her. Her cheeks went pink as she stared up at her boyfriend.

"It'll be okay Inko." Whispered Toshinori as he kissed her forehead.

Inko could only smile as she stared up at the blonde haired man. It seemed that he had for the most part reassured her. Though he could still feel how nervous she was. Not that he could really blame her, this was a new place for her and he doubted that she was ever taken to such a nice event, not including the Hero's Gala.

Once they were seated, Toshinori asked for a bottle of champagne, he figured that would be nice enough for the couple to share. Though he also wasn't sure how much of a drinker Inko was. "I will return with your menus." The host said with a smile before he walked off to go collect the menus.

Inko looked up at Toshinori as she asked "So why did you take me to such a nice restaurant?" She tilted her head to the side, and Toshinori couldn't deny it but he thought it was rather cute.

He just grinned up at her as he said "Because I wanted to treat you like the queen you should be Inko." Inko just blushed more at his words and almost wiggled a little in her seat. Toshinori smiled a little as he said "I know it's a bit overwhelming but well…" He blushed a little, scratching at his cheek as he went on. "I want to make sure you know that well… I do love you through my actions."

"I do appreciate this Toshi but, I rather you be yourself. I don't need you to throw away your money just to make me happy." Inko said with a smile on her face. Toshinori just blinked his blue eyes a few times before he chuckled. Okay, so maybe he was a little silly at this, though not that he could fault himself since he's never really had a real date before so this was new for him.

"Sorry, I've never dated so I'm still new to this." He chuckled a little before he saw the menus being brought to the pair. "Thank you." Toshinori said, as did Inko before they started to look for what they would love to have to eat. Afterwards, dinner went by smoothly, the pair would talk about what had been happening at their jobs or just anything random that had been happening.

Yet when Inko had mentioned how Mitsuki was expecting, Toshinori couldn't help but blink in shock. That was something he wasn't expecting though then again everyone has been busy with their own things. "Maybe you'll need to make some more plans with her." Toshinori said with a small smile. It would be good for her, to be able to be with her friend a little more often. After all, from what he had gathered, Mitsuki was the only friend that took Inko back in her inner circle.

"I want to, so I'm gonna try to make some plans with her this weekend. I'm hoping to spend more time with her before her schedule will be busy with her job and appointments on the baby." Inko said with a giggle. Toshinori smiled at that, it was nice to see her smile like that. To hear her giggle like that, it made his heart flutter in his chest and he knew that it would make her life so much better. Though everything would be so much better if they could hurry up and capture Hisashi.

"Toshi?" Toshinori blinked as he stared at Inko as he tilted his head. "Do you think… I could live a normal life?" That confused him. Her eyes looking sad, somber maybe. He couldn't really be sure as to what it was that was flashing through her eyes. There was just so many thoughts that could be in her head but he wouldn't be able to fully comprehend what it was that was going through her head. Not in times like these at least.

"What do you mean Inko?" asked Toshinori.

Inko sighed softly, her gaze looking down at her lap. It seemed that she had been thinking about this for a little while now at the very least. As for how long, he couldn't say unless it was from the moment she had left Hisashi. "I mean… well, would I be able to live normally? I know what I may say, may sound like I'm rushing things but at the same time it still has me concerned." Okay, that just had him even more confused. "You see, everything that Mitsuki is going through it made me wonder if I would ever live like that."

"Inko, what do you mean? You know you can just come out and say anything." Toshinori whispered softly.

Letting out a soft sigh, Inko had her hands curled up on the table, her nervous energy had her pretty much squirming on the table. "Well, it makes me wonder if someday… I could have children, or even get married still. I know I'm thinking far ahead but it just has me concerned." Toshinori almost choked on his spit before he looked at Inko with wide eyes. Okay, he knew that he couldn't blame her for that, though it had him a little surprised either way. After all, he himself had a dream of what a child he and Inko could have may end up looking like.

Her to have thoughts about if she could even have children or if anyone would want to marry her though, that was something else altogether. This was something about her future, a future that she wondered if she could ever even have in the first place.

Reaching over, Toshinori gently grasped a hold of Inko's cupped hands causing her to look up at him with wide eyes. Tears in her eyes had yet to be shed, yet they made her eyes shine like emeralds. He could feel his heart skip a beat in his chest, he knew that this was something that he had to say, that this was something that Inko needed to hear. "Inko," He whispered softly, causing her to just tilt her head a little. "I believe that you would make a wonderful mother and a beautiful bride. I know someday, a lucky man, which… um…" He blushed a little at his next words. "I hope… that someday that it'll be me…"

Inko just stared at him with wide eyes. Did he mess up? Did he say the wrong thing that would just make her cry her eyes out? Oh god he hoped this place had flood insurance or something along those lines. "Inko? Um… did I make you cry?"

"No." Inko said with a sniffle, removing one of her hands from Toshinori's grasp and wiped at her eyes a little. A smile on her face as she said "I… I wish that you'll be that man someday too Toshi." Inko had a soft blush on her face once again, or at least it went a little darker though not by much. Toshinori smiled a little before he tightened his hold on Inko's free hand.

"Inko, I promise you that I'll make you the happiest woman on this planet. I'll make sure I spend every single day of my life to make you happy and loved." Toshinori said, his expression serious yet he had a soft glow to his blue eyes. Inko could only smile at that.

"Thank you Toshinori." Inko whispered softly.

"You're welcome Inko." Toshinori said with a chuckle and a smile on his face.

Soon, music started to play, Toshinori looked over and smiled as he saw happy couples making their way to the dance floor. He chuckled a little as he looked over at Inko and pushed himself up and walked over to her side of the table and held out his hand for her. "May I have this dance my dear?" Toshinori said with a smile. Inko frowned a little, as if she was thinking of something. Shit did he do this before at the Hero's Gala?

"Yes." Inko said, causing him to smile.

Maybe she didn't notice? Dear god he hoped that was the case, he hoped that she hadn't figured it out yet. He wanted to make sure that he was the one to tell her the truth, not her finding out by chance or by someone else telling her the truth. Inhaling deeply, the young man walked with his girlfriend to the dance floor, wrapping his arm around her waist while the other held her free hand. Inko's free hand meanwhile had hers around his waist, or maybe it was a little higher than that.

Inko looked up at Toshinori and he couldn't help but smile at her. He could see the light in her eyes be so much brighter than they once were. He could still remember the day when he first saw her. The day when her eyes lacked any kind of light, a light that he should have seen drain away slowly in his sisters eyes all those years ago.

No, he knew that was why he first went out to help Inko. Her eyes, her aura, everything about her had screamed out to him, screaming out 'help me' over and over. That was what drew him in all those months ago. Now, she was so much happier, so much brighter with life and joy. A far cry from who she used to be, and he knew that she had mostly healed a great deal. Yet, her healing will only be complete when Hisashi was captured and locked away for good.

 _Heart beats fast  
Colours and promises  
How to be brave  
How can I love when I'm afraid  
To fall  
But watching you stand alone  
All of my doubt  
Suddenly goes away somehow_

Toshinori couldn't help but sing the song under his breath. He remembered this song, it was a song that his parents used to dance too when he was a child. His father had told him many times that it was a song that his mother picked for them to dance too when they were first together, then again at their wedding. His father said that 'it was a song that told me, that your mother was the only woman for me and I hope you find someone special like that for you Toshinori, and for you Miyoko'. Though, Toshinori had thought that it was silly, but… maybe he was starting to understand his father's words.

 _One step closer_

Inko was so far, the first woman he's ever really loved. Something that he had wondered why he had never really been attracted to anyone. He had first thought that maybe he didn't like women or even men for that matter. At least, until Inko had entered his life.

 _I have died everyday  
waiting for you  
Darlin' don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more_

Holding her a little closer to his chest, Toshinori could feel his heart beating quickly in his chest. As could he feel Inko's heart beating. It was as if their hearts were beating as one in this very moment. He couldn't help but smile softly at the thought. His thoughts wandered to one day, he would see Inko dressed in all white one day. That she would smile at him with a smile so blinding that he would have to shield his eyes from the purity that was her spirit and heart. It was something that he wanted to see one day, and he still hoped and prayed that he would someday.

 _Time stands still  
beauty I know she is  
I will be brave  
I will not let anything  
Take away  
What's standing in front of me  
Every breath,  
Every hour has come to this_

Inko looked up at him and had unshed tears in her eyes. Toshinori smiled as he swayed the two of them side to side as he leaned down and kissed her cheek. Inko laughed softly only to lay her head against his chest. Toshinori smiled a little more as he went back to singing softly, so only Inko could hear him sing his heart into this song.

 _One step closer_

Dipping her down only to draw her back into his arms, Toshinori closed his eyes as he pictured his parents faces again. The faces that were always so full of joy, happiness and love. Their love had been pure, and he knew if they were alive, they would be teasing him saying that he was so much like them. Though, he even had a feeling that his aunt would have said the same thing if she saw him with Inko.

 _I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darlin' don't be afraid  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more_

Toshinori couldn't help but smile. This was a happy day to be sure, his heart was light, full of joy and love and it was all thanks to this woman. A woman that he had thought that he had to heal but really, they ended up healing each other. He just hoped and prayed that they could always be like this. Always be happy and just remember the good times that came up with their past. He even hoped, that one day Inko never had to look back on her past with a frown.

 _And all along I believed  
I would find you  
Time has brought  
Your heart to me  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more_

Toshinori sighed softly in content. It was wrong to think this, but her situation was what had brought them together, he knew that. Yet he still wanted to shield Inko from all of the pain that she had to endure just to find him. Just for him to find her, and save her from herself and from the things that she had to suffer for five whole years. It was a horrible thing, though he was still thankful for finding Inko before it was too late. Who knows what would have happened should he have never met her, or worse yet lost her in the long run.

 _One step closer  
One step closer_

Tightening his hold, Toshinori feared that should a day like that come, that he could have lost her. The flow of time was a fickle thing, he knew that better than anyone in the world. He had lost his parents, his sister, his master. So many people he had lost to one reason or another and it scared him. Scared him that he would lose Inko as well to something, though he would do all he could in order to make sure that he would never lose the woman he loved. How though, he wasn't sure.

 _I have died everyday  
Waiting for you  
Darlin' don't be afraid,  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more_

Their dance started to slow down, Toshinori didn't want this dance to ever end. He couldn't help but gaze down at Inko, seeing her looking up at him. Smiling gently, he reached up and cupped her face against his palm, still singing along to the song before he suddenly had an idea pop up into his head.

 _And all along I believed  
I would find you  
Time has brought  
Your heart to me  
I have loved you for a  
Thousand years  
I'll love you for a  
Thousand more_

Toshinori suddenly lifted Inko up into his arms, causing her to squeal in shock as he spun them around in circles. Inko's squeal of shock had suddenly turned into joyous laughter. Toshinori couldn't help but laugh with Inko, he had never been so happy before in his entire life. He didn't care about anything as all of his focus was the green haired woman in his arms.

 _twenty four oceans  
twenty four skies  
twenty four failures  
twenty four tries_

Toshinori smiled gently at Inko as he rested her on the crook of his arm and held her close against his chest. His forehead resting against hers, his palm running through her hair before resting against her cheek. Inko leaned against his hand as she let out a soft sigh. His blue orbs gazing into pools of emerald as he just stared at her. He found himself to be the luckiest man on the planet, and knew that no matter what happened, seeing Inko smiled was worth all the praise in the world.

 _your raising the dead in me  
oh oh oh ,oh oh oh  
I am the second man  
oh oh oh ,oh oh oh  
I am the second man now  
I am the second man now  
and you're raising the dead in me_

As the song was ending, Toshinori couldn't help but close his eyes as he gave Inko a soft, yet passionate kiss. He didn't care who saw him, nor did he care what others thought of him as he kissed the woman of his dreams. His love for Inko was stronger than any stare that anyone would ever give him. "I love you Inko." He whispered as he pulled back.

"I love you too Toshinori." He couldn't help the shiver as she said his full name. The blonde had grown so used to her calling him Toshi, yet to hear her saying his full name brought that shiver but he just smiled. Yup, he was indeed, a lucky, lucky man. He soon brought his lips back to the green haired woman once again.

And it was on this day, that he knew his father's words to be the truth.


	18. Comfort

Inko smiled happily as she worked in the kitchen. The dinner that Toshinori had taken her too was amazing though she couldn't help but think about back to the dance the pair shared. She knew that she was dancing with Toshinori, but for a brief moment she had thought All Might was with her. She wasn't sure why that was, though she knew that her heart still did beat for the blonde hero. What was with that in the first place? Why did she love two men in the first place?

Sighing softly, the young woman put in the cookie sheet and wiped her hands on a dry cloth in the hopes of removing the flour that had stained her hands. "Now, what should I do now?" Inko asked with a tilt of her head only to smile all the more.

It was nice really, to know that she was loved by someone.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman looked out the window that was in the kitchen and smiled. Maybe she and Toshinori could take a nice walk when he got home. Though, then again she knew that he may end up being rather tired so maybe not. She'd have to think of something that they could do when he got home.

Looking at the time, Inko couldn't help but frown a bit. Toshinori was a little late, though now that she thought about it he seemed a little stressed out today before he left. It had her a little concerned and she had asked him what was wrong though he just shrugged her off saying 'Just something big coming up at work. There is a bust going on and I may have to attend to help out.' That was what he had said, yet it still had her worried either way.

Sighing, Inko made her way over to the living room and started to clean up as she hummed a soft tune under her breath. God, why did she have this nagging feeling in the back of her head? There had to be something wrong, though she couldn't be sure as to what it was as of yet.

Something told her that something was wrong, that something horrible had happened. Though she couldn't be sure as to what it was that had happened. Rubbing her forehead, Inko tried to rub away the feeling from her mind though she just couldn't think as to what it was that was wrong.

Shaking her head, Inko started to sweep up the floors before organizing the place. Her quirk of course, came in handy when it came to cleaning as she could easily pull any cleaning item near her, or of course put it away. IT was one of the many things that she liked about her quirk, though she couldn't help but wonder what Toshinori's quirk was. He was strong, that was for sure, though when he wanted to rush home he seemed rather fast. Maybe he had a quirk that allowed him to put strength in parts of his body to increase either his speed or strength.

Shaking her head, Inko knew that if he wanted to tell her what it was, he would have told her by now. That much was true, though she couldn't help but still be rather curious. "This is going to drive me nuts." Inko mumbled to herself, not really sure how long it'll be until he was ready to tell her the truth of his quirk. Though, she also knew that he would tell her when the time was right, that much was true.

He had his reasoning for these things, even if she didn't like it sometimes.

Looking back up at the clock, she saw that he was still late. He still hadn't come back home and it made her worry all the more. Had Hisashi found him? Had he tried to attack Toshinori because he was helping her? Oh god, she hoped that wasn't the case! Eyes widening as panic seemed to grip her heart in an icy vice, as if trying to squeeze the life right out of her. Dear lord, he had to be safe right? He just had to be alright, he just had to be!

Covering her cheeks in her hands, panicked tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to get herself to calm down. Panic breaths escaping her as she tried to calm herself down. Dear god, she hoped that everything was okay with Toshinori, if she lost him, Inko wouldn't know what she would do.

Shaking her head, Inko tried to rationalize everything in her head. Even if Hisashi found Toshinori, he was surrounded by heroes, not to mention he was strong and seemed to be rather resourceful… At least, she was hopeful that he would be enough to hold his own against the fire breather.

Tightly shutting her eyes, the young woman tried to get herself to calm down. God, why did this have to bother her so much anyway? Was it just because she was concerned about Toshinori or was it because she was just being very paranoid about everything that surrounded her life? Shaking her head, the young woman tried to get her mind off of everything that surrounded her life.

Cleaning, that was one thing that she could do about her life. That much was for sure, just get back to cleaning.

Pulling the broom to her, Inko started to sweep the floors as she hummed softly under her breath once again. Even though she tried to forget everything in her life, even just for a moment, she let out a sigh. Her mind kept going back to Toshinori, god she just hoped and prayed that he would just walk through the door soon so her mind would be at ease.

That would make everything so much easier. Though, that would just be wishful thinking at this point, the odds of him just coming through that door the moment of desire would have just been rather odd.

It was then, that Inko heard the door all but slam open. Rushing to the hallway, she was expecting Toshinori to seem tired, exhausted maybe even a little upset about whatever it was at work to have gone wrong in some way, yet what she saw was enough to make her eyes widen and her blood cold.

"Toshi…" whispered Inko with wide tearful eyes.

Toshinori had indeed made it through the door, but with the support of two pro-heroes that she knew by both their hero names, and civilian names. Shouta, and Hizashi each had an arm around a bleeding and unconscious Toshinori. He was wearing the same clothes that he left in, a white t-shirt and cargo pants but his clothes were both stained in blood and ripped here and there. "Oh god, Toshi!" Inko shouted as she rushed to him.

Shouta, suddenly called out. "Don't come near him! Just help us get him changed out of these clothes and to his bed." Inko nodded her head as she rushed to find a new outfit for Toshinori to wear. Her hands trembled as she thought about the bleeding unconscious man as she pulled out what she first laid her sights on. Which was mostly just a pair of flannel pants and a white t-shirt.

Looking over, she saw the two heroes bringing Toshinori over to his bed and asked Inko to leave but she just shook her head. She wanted to help him, wanted to do anything that she could to help him.

The two heroes didn't think it would be a good idea, though seeing the determined look on the woman's face, they knew that she wouldn't leave the blonde's side. "Are you sure that you want to be in here? He's pretty beat up."

"I won't leave him… he's been through a lot for me and… I want to be there for him." Inko said with a tremble in her body, yet her voice was still determined.

"I…" Inko, Shouta and Hizashi looked over at Toshinori who was still in the two heroes grasp as he lifted his head and blankly stared at the green haired woman. "In… ko…" He whispered before reaching out for his girlfriend. Inko went to reach out for the blonde, only to watch as his eyes rolled in the back of his head, head falling limp as did his arm.

"He woke up?" Shouta said in shock before shaking his head. "Alright, come on let's get him in bed and changed. Inko, can you go get a basin of water and a cloth so we can wash the blood off? Oh and maybe the first aid kit?" Inko nodded her head as she made her way to the bathroom and grabbed the first aid first, after that she made her way to the hall closet and grabbed some towels and of course a basin and started to fill it up with warm water before making a mad dash to the bedroom. If Toshinori was in such rough shape, why didn't they take him to a healer? Dear god, she wanted to know if he would be okay, what were they doing for him to be so beat up in the first place?

Shaking her head, the young woman made it back to the bedroom and handed the first aid to Shouta as she noticed that he had changed the taller man's clothes, or at the very least had put pants on him. It seemed that the biggest injury was to his head, right forearm, left bicep and his chest. Toshinori just laid there on the bed, his breath was soft yet even so she knew that he wasn't in any kind of pain. At least, not that she knew of.

"What happened?" asked Inko with a frown as she started to wash the blood from the blonde's chest.

"We were attacked. We thought that we got all the villains but it seemed they knew ahead of time. Toshinori was caught in the line of fire and couldn't prepare himself soon enough to protect himself properly, he took the brunt of the attack and managed to fight them off to subdue the villains but he ended up collapsing in the end." Shouta whispered softly before shaking his head.

"We were able to get someone to heal him but sadly most of his own energy was spent healing others and Toshinori didn't much energy left in the first place. It was amazing just to see him awake to say your name!" Hizashi said with concern.

Inko couldn't help but look at Toshinori, his expression was relaxed and rather peaceful. It was as if he didn't know that he had been injured in the beginning. Though she couldn't help herself as she placed her palm against his cheek. He seemed to have responded to her instantly, leaning against her touch, his lips moving yet no words could be heard from him. Inko couldn't help but be curious as to what was going on in his head right now.

Looking at his head, Inko grabbed the cloth and dipped it in the water before she started to wash his head, scalp and hair free of blood. "I don't think we'll get all the blood off of his hair, he'll need a shower…" Inko whispered softly before working on his arms. Though it was still surprising that he was still unconscious yet still seeming to be aware of his surroundings for the most part.

"I agree, though I don't know how long he'll be out for." Hizashi said with a sigh escaping him.

"Has he ever been out like this before?" asked Inko with a frown.

"No, he's normally well prepared, we all are but this was just the problems with being a hero. Sometimes you just aren't fully prepared but it takes experience to learn when to fight, and when to flee." Shouta calmly said as he started to wrap up what injuries had been cleaned up.

Inko looked at Toshinori, seeing him look so beat up, she could even see some bruises on his skin, and knew that he was hurt pretty badly. Though it still bothered her that she had no idea what kind of hero he really was. She had never seen him out and about as a hero before, hell she didn't even know if he was even a hero but why else would he even be out dealing with villains in the first place?

"Inko, right?" Hizashi asked softly.

"Yes?"

"Do you mind if we stay here? Just to help you out to make sure that Toshi is okay?" Hizashi said with a frown on his face. Inko could only nod her head as she gazed down at Toshinori. It hurt her heart to see him in such a state, though she knew that he would be okay. At least, she hoped that would be the case, the thought of seeing him in this state tore at her heart though, she was happy that it wasn't Hisashi that did this, but it pained her to see Toshinori hurt at all.

"I'll go make some tea." Inko whispered before making her way to the kitchen and started to boil some water as she grabbed the cups and set them on a tray for the two men that now resided in the living room. For now, she would have to make sure that she checked up on him here and there. Yet, would he still remember who she was when he woke up? Thinking that he would even come close to forgetting her hurt her heart… he had just remembered his sister, what would happen if he lost all of his memories?

"Inko?" came a voice, causing the green haired woman to nearly jump out of her skin as she whipped herself around and stared at Shouta, the raven haired man frowned as he stared at the green haired woman with a blank yet tired expression on his face. "Are you gonna be okay?" He asked gently.

"I… I honestly don't know." Inko whispered, not really sure what it was that she was supposed to feel. Sad? Concerned? Worry? There were so many emotions that she should be feeling but at the moment she couldn't really figure out what it was that she should be feeling seeing the man she loved in this state.

Inko felt herself starting to tremble, her eyes pooling with tears that refused to fall. Wrapping her arms around herself, gritting her teeth as she tried to get herself to calm down, and tried to get herself not to cry in front of Toshinori's friends. She knew fully well that they were heroes, heroes don't show tears while in the midst of battle… she shouldn't cry, she shouldn't cry-

Suddenly, the green haired woman felt cloth wrap around her arm and tugged her toward the raven haired man. Before she could even respond to his actions, Inko felt him wrap his arms around her as he whispered "You can cry, you have every right to cry right now."

Her eyes were wide as she heard his words, calm yet bored as they were, there was a hidden softness to them. Inko couldn't help as the tears started to roll down her eyes as she choked up. Tightly she gripped the man's black shirt as she sobbed against his shirt and scarf. How was it that he knew that she needed to be held? That she needed to cry or that she was fighting herself from showing such an emotion in front of guests in the first place?

"I'm sorry." Inko sobbed.

"You don't need to be sorry." Shouta whispered, running his fingers through her hair as if hoping that would be enough to sooth her.

Inko didn't know how long she cried, didn't know how much she had let out heart breaking sobs as she tightly held the man's shirt in her grasp. Only that once she could no longer cry, no longer even able to sob the young woman pulled back and tried to wipe away the remaining tears that hadn't soaked into the man's shirt. "I'm sorry…"

"I said you don't need to be sorry." Shouta mumbled.

"But your shirt…" Inko whimpered.

"I can easily wash it. Now, you go sit down on the couch with Zashi and I'll tend to the tea." Shouta calmly said before shooing Inko out of the kitchen and prepared the tea.

Inko was rather confused about the man's actions. He seemed rather bored and tired all the time, rather blunt as well from what she had gathered about the man. Yet, he was willing to comfort her as well in the end. It was strange though at the same time she was also very grateful for his actions. Looking ahead, she looked at the blonde hero, who was still dressed up in leather, a speaker around his neck and headphones on his ears as he flipped through channels.

As if sensing her stare, Hizashi looked up and smiled as he waved her over. Making her way over to the couch, she sat down next to him as she whispered "Thank you for bringing Toshi home…"

"No worries. Though, I have to ask. Did Shouta kick you out of the kitchen?" Hizashi asked with a smile on his face.

"Yes."

"Of course." Hizashi chuckled a little before he settled on a channel. A soap really, though she figured that he didn't put the news on so she wouldn't see how Toshinori got hurt. For that, she was also grateful though it still confused her as to why they were trying so hard to comfort her of all people. She was after all still a stranger to them.

"Um… why are you guys being so nice to me? Why was Shouta being so comforting me when he seems… um…" Inko tried to think of the right words without sounding rude.

"Bored, serious and bland?" Hizashi said without looking away from the TV.

"Um… yes?"

"He may not look it, but Shouta is a good guy. He's a man that has his secrets and many mysteries to him that makes people want to stay away from him. Which he prefers some days. Only allowing a selective few within his circle." Hizashi explained before turning to Inko and gave her a soft smile. "But he also knows what it's like to see their loved one in such a state." Huh? Inko was about to ask him what he meant about that until Hizashi waved her off, as if to silence her. "See, years ago, I was in the same position of Toshinori. I was badly hurt and Shouta stayed with me for weeks while I recovered in the hospital."

Inko stared with wide eyes.

"I was badly hurt, amazing that I survived but when I woke up I saw Shouta holding my hand. His body shaking like a leaf and dried tears under his tired eyes. It was then that he told me that he didn't want to lose me and that was when we started to date." Hizashi chuckled as he turned to stare at Inko, his eyes soft yet understanding at the same time. "He knows how to comfort you, because he's been in that situation himself. Only difference he had no one to comfort him, you do."

Inko couldn't help but stare with wide eyes as she looked at the man as he just watched Hizashi shift on his seat as he looked over at the green haired woman. It seemed that he was trying to think of his words carefully, as if he was afraid to say the wrong thing that would set her off in some way or another. Though Inko knew that Hizashi didn't have to worry about such a thing around her. That no matter what she said, that he wouldn't set her off.

He relaxed his body before he looked up at Inko as he started to explain. "See, Shouta doesn't like to show his emotions. Thinking if he does that it could be used against him. He likes his privacy much like anyone but he's more secretive than normal people. Because of that, he doesn't like people but he feels like he can trust you because Toshi does. As do I, plus I think you won him over with those cat cookies you bake."

Inko let out a soft giggle at that.

"It is hard to win him over though I think he also likes that he can finally tease Toshinori finally about his love life." Hizashi chuckled at that.

Inko blushed a little at that.

"Don't worry, he won't tease you." Hizashi chuckled softly.

"Okay." Inko whispered softly before looking back down the hall to Toshinori's room.

"He'll be okay, don't worry. Toshinori's strong, plus I highly doubt he'd be stupid to leave you behind like that." Hizashi said with a chuckle before he looked over at the TV once again. Both of them just watching TV before Inko heard the ding of the oven. A sign that her cookies were done baking. Yet, the moment she got up, she could hear the other man shout out at her.

"Stay in there, I got them." Shouta still sounded calm, how was it that he could do that yet still sound so serious?

Sitting back down, Inko sighed softly as she looked over at the kitchen only to look away once again. "He doesn't want you to push yourself just to make us comfortable, he has his own way of comfort." Hizashi said, causing her to look up and frown a little. "Don't worry about a thing alright?"

Inko nodded her head, wondering what she could do. It just seemed that they were going a bit out of their way to comfort her though she knew that they had their reasons. At least, she figured that was the case for this. "Oh, by the way Inko…" Inko looked up as she saw Hizashi pull out a letter and held it out to Inko. "Shouta and I were holding onto this, we've been trying to find a way to give this to you, it is a letter that Toshi's sister left. Honestly, she had written this for him for after she… was well gone." Hizashi sighed softly as he gazed down at the letter with soft eyes. "But, when he forgot her I held onto the letter when Shouta and I had gone to his apartment, after he remembered I was trying to find the right time to give it to him."

"Shouldn't you give it to him though? Why give it to me?" Inko asked with a frown.

"You are pretty much living here, Shouta and I are normally busy and this way after he's healed enough and when you think he's ready to see his sister's final words then hand it to him." Hizashi said with a smile on his face, though it was soft and comforting though at the same time a bit remorseful for keeping it from his friend for so long.

"Okay." Inko said as she accepted the letter.

Soon, Inko jumped a bit as she heard the clatter of the tea cups and pot hitting the table, though not enough to shatter the china but enough to startle her. Blinking her green eyes upwards, Inko saw Shouta as he poured the tea for Inko, Hizashi and himself. Tilting her head a little, he calmly said "Just relax Inko."

Nodding her head, the young woman sipped at her tea as she asked "How well did you know Miyoko?" She looked up at the two men and frowned a little at them. Wondering what if was that they would say about her boyfriend's twin.

"Pretty well." Hizashi answered.

"She was nice, we got along with her. In a way she was mostly like a female version of Toshi." Shouta whispered before sighing softly.

"So full of life, joy and happiness. Yet when she met that asshole she changed." Shouta mumbled, his eyes hardening with hate and anger. "Miyoko lost so much, her joy, the happiness. Her eyes would glow with warmth, and happiness yet they slowly dimmed with lack of life." He added with a snarl, only to calm down before looking up. "She and Toshi were close as can be, they told each other pretty much everything, yet he refused to tell her about his special teacher and she refused to tell him about her boyfriend. He's never even met the man, but he still tried to get her to leave him."

"But she couldn't, could she?" asked Inko.

"Yes." Hizashi answered with a sigh. The blonde ran a hand through his hair, as if trying to calm his own anger toward the man that caused their friend issues and heartache at the loss of his sister. "We don't know the whole situation, only that he tried to get Miyoko to leave him but she refused. Saying that she could change him or something but we think that maybe, she was too afraid to leave him." Inko frowned at that, Miyoko was afraid to leave him? Sure she knew that people are afraid to leave their abusive partner though she couldn't help but be curious as to why Miyoko was scared.

She had people she could have relied on, Inko did and had relied on her friend Mitsuki and now, she relied on Toshinori who helped her throughout her healing process. Yet, what was her reason for not reaching out for others in the end? Tilting her head a little, the young woman asked "Do you know why she didn't reach out for people to help her?"

"Sadly, we don't. Maybe she wrote it in her letter, it's hard to say as to what she was going through and why she didn't reach out for help. But, we hope that maybe she left a clue as to what it was that made her make the choice she did to end it." Hizashi said with a sigh before sipping at his own tea.

Tilting her head a little, Inko just looked at the letter for a moment before holding it close. "I'll show this to him when I think he's ready…" Though really, she wasn't sure when that would be. When he would ever really be ready to look at this letter. Inhaling deeply, the young woman looked up at the two heroes as she asked "Um… is there something I should do about Toshinori's injuries?" She tilted her head a little, hoping that there would be some kind of answer that they could give her. After all, she had never treated injuries like these before, not even her own.

"You'll just need to change his bandages in a few hours. He may not be bleeding as much, but they'll still need to be changed and keep an eye out for any kind of fever. If you aren't sure what to do, just call us." Hizashi said with a small smile before pulling out a notepad and wrote down both his numbers and Shouta's. "Oh, and if you can't get a hold of us on these numbers, here are our emergency numbers." Hizashi gave Inko a calm smile before he handing Inko the slip of paper and gave her a gentle smile. "We know that Toshi is in good hands."

Inko couldn't help but frown a little at that. They really had so much faith in her from that? As she was about to say something else, Shouta gave her a look that caused her to shut up. "Inko, we have never seen him so happy before since we've known him. Even before he lost his sister, he's never been this happy before. Toshi is in good hands. Plus I'm pretty sure Zashi left other instructions for you should something else come up."

Inko frowned as she looked on the other side of the paper and blinked in shock. He had. Odd, but she wasn't going to complain about that. After all, it seemed that he was very well prepared when it came to preparing others for anything. Though, Inko just hoped that it never got out of hand when it came to taking care of Toshinori. Inko couldn't help but look over at the bedroom, was he okay? Was he still asleep or was he losing his memory even as they speak?!

"Inko, breathe." Shouta whispered.

Blinking her green eyes, the young woman looked up at Shouta and nodded as she took a deep breath. Inhaling deeply, the young woman tried to get herself to calm down. He was right, she was starting to overwork herself at this rate. She knew that she had to stay calm, or else she would have another panic attack and break down into tears.

"Anyway, we need to head out. Again, should anything arise, just call us and we'll come rushing over as soon as we can." Hizashi said with a smile on his face. Inko could only nod before saying

"Take a few treats, please I insist." Inko insisted with a soft smile before letting out a soft sigh and started to nibble on one of the many cookies.

"Thanks." Shouta whispered before using his scarf and picked up a bunch of cookies and held them in his hand and started to walk away. Inko laughed softly and shook her head.

"Thank you both for bringing Toshi home." Inko said happily.

"No problem, you're our friend too after all Inko." Hizashi said with a smile before he and Shouta left, leaving Inko alone with an unconscious Toshinori.

Inko frowned a little before making her way over to their bedroom and slowly opened the door. Looking in, she saw that Toshinori was still asleep, yet the blanket didn't cover his entire body, leaving his torso bare and his arms resting atop of the blanket as he slept. Inko couldn't help as she slowly made her way over to the bed and gently grabbed a hold of Toshinori's hand. "Toshi?" Inko whispered, not sure if he could even hear her.

Sighing softly, Inko was about to pull her hand away until she felt Toshinori's hand close around her hand, though it was gentle. Looking down, she saw that he was holding onto her hand, gentle as it may be, it made her wonder if he was afraid to let her go.

Giving him a gentle smile, the young woman couldn't help but lean in and kiss his forehead as she whispered "Don't worry Toshinori, I'll look after you."

As if hearing her words, the young woman felt him release his hold over her hand before she went and changed into her own pajamas and quickly changed his bandages and placed more ointment over his injuries. Staring down at the man as he slept, Toshinori's head turned, laying on the uninjured side as he let out a deep breath. It seemed as if he could breathe easier now, though she couldn't help but wonder what it was that he was dreaming of.

Inko looked at Toshinori and gave him a soft kiss to his cheek before laying down next to him. Her hand resting on his shoulder as she started to drift in and out of sleep. She knew that he was near her, and that he knew that she was near him. At least, she hoped that he could still sense that she was near him and would feel some kind of comfort.

"Night Toshi." Inko whispered before drifting off to sleep.


	19. Please Wake Up

For the last few days, Inko had felt like she had been running around. Toshinori hadn't woken up and he ended up with a high fever from his injuries. It was amazing that he wasn't groaning with how hot it was getting for him. Inko though, had made sure to keep him hydrated for the most part and she had stayed with him. Holding onto him when she could and of course humming to the man as he slept. Inko couldn't help but wonder what it was that he was dreaming about.

Ever since Toshinori came back to her all beaten up and bloodied for the most part, he had only woken up the one time and reached out for her. Weakly calling her name, must having sensed her distress only to black out again shortly afterwards. Yet, otherwise he hadn't woken up and it had her concerned. Had he forgotten her already?

Shaking her head, Inko knew that was rather silly, they hadn't told her that he had such an injury as that though she just hoped that he hadn't gone into some kind of shock.

Yet, of course it was hard to look after Toshinori though. So on days that she had to work, she had asked either Shouta or Hizashi to look after Toshinori should he ever wake up while she was at work. If she wanted too, she could have taken time off work but sadly she had a few catering orders to get done before anything else and had to be there for the pickup. Though she kept her cellphone on her should that call ever come to her.

As she worked away in the kitchen, making some broth for the sleeping man Inko wanted to make sure that Toshinori had something in his stomach. Though she did have to look up a few things while tending to Toshinori. Though she knew that if he didn't wake up soon, then she'd have to take him to a hospital to get the help that he needed. After all, she had no idea what it was that was going on in his head right now.

What was he dreaming of? Was he having dreams of his sister? His parents? Someone else from his past that he had lost or could have possible lost?

Shaking her head, the young woman let out a deep sigh as she set the broth on simmer before she went to go check on the sleeping blonde man. Peeking into the bedroom, she saw that Toshinori was still sound asleep. Frowning a little, the young woman made her way into the room before carefully making her way to the bed and saw that Toshinori had tilted his head in his sleep. The cloth falling off of his forehead and onto the side of the bed. Long since having dried out.

"Toshi, please wake up. I miss talking to you. You said that you'd protect me but you can't do that if you're asleep now can you?" She said in a slight teasing tone. In a way, she had expected him to open his eyes and tell her that everything was okay. That he was awake and still willing to protect her like always. Though, that was only a dream of her own. He hadn't woken up yet and knew that he still needed some time to heal at the very least. "Silly man," Inko whispered, dipping the cloth in the bucket of water and ice as she ringed out the excess water before placing it back on the blonde's forehead.

Toshinori seemed to let out a soft sigh as he slept, his expression was calm yet relaxed. It was enough to tell Inko that he must be having happy dreams as he slept. It was nice to see Toshinori seeming so happy and relaxed, though she'd be happier if he had woken up already. Reaching out, the young woman ran her fingers through his bangs before resting her hand on his cheek as he slept. Toshinori's lips moved and he seemed to have reacted to her touch as he leaned against her hand.

"You know I'm here right? You know that I am still looking after you even as you sleep." Inko gave him a soft smile before kissing his forehead. Sighing gently, Inko made her way out of the bedroom to check on dinner. It hurt her heart to know that her boyfriend was still out cold and had yet to open his eyes again. For all she knew, he could have woken up while she was away and wouldn't have been any the wiser in the least.

Yawning against the back of her hand, Inko was feeling rather exhausted, just wanting to sleep though she knew that she still had to make sure that Toshinori had something to eat before she would go lay down for a nap. Everything was rather exhausting, though she knew that the long run would be worth it.

Rubbing her eyes, Inko wondered why she had been so tired lately. It was something that she had started to notice lately that she had been getting a little more tired. Maybe it was due to Toshinori's injury? Shaking her head, the young woman let out a soft sigh before she finished up the broth and put some of it in a bowl for Toshinori. It was a difficult process to feed him though she knew that the long run was what would be worth it.

As she made her way to Toshinori, Inko saw that he was still sound asleep, though he had turned his head again in his sleep. It made her smile, she couldn't help but smile a little at him. He was still self-aware it seemed since he did still react to her touch. As for words, it was something that would come and go. Nothing more, so it was hard to say that he was even still responding to anything else other than her touch.

Yawning against the back of her hand once again, she managed to feed Toshinori before walking out of the bedroom and went to go clean up her mess in the kitchen. It wasn't big, though it gave her something to try to keep her mind off of Toshinori's condition.

Inhaling deeply, Inko's thoughts went back to Mitsuki. She would still have to make plans for the two of them to hang out though at this rate, they'd have to hang out here while Toshinori recovers. "At this rate, we'll have to have our plans here, more so with Hisashi still out there…" Inko whispered, only to shiver at the reminder of her crazy ex. He was still out there, looking for her, and most likely trying to find a way to get her back.

"I hope he gets caught soon." Inko whispered as she went back to cleaning.

* * *

Toshinori groaned as he slowly opened his eyes. Everything was foggy, hazy though he groaned as he felt pain wrecking his body. God, where was he? Blinking his sleep clouded eyes, he looked around and noticed that he was back in his room. Hm… odd. Last thing he remembered was that he was about to leave from the job that he and the others had just finished then…

Eyes widening, he quickly sat up only to gasp out in pain as he held his ribs. Groaning and moaning, he looked down and saw that he had bandages and gauze around his chest, and arms. Taking a deep shuddering breath, Toshinori tried to think on what else had happened afterwards? He knew that he hadn't known that the attack was going to happen, or else he would have braced himself better for the attack.

Though, he must have been in worse shape than this before since he looked like he was mostly healed. Now it was most likely phantom pain or just the pain of his remaining injuries.

Looking around, he didn't see Inko, he wondered how she was. No, he knew how she was. It was faint, but he could see a blurred image in his head. Him, opening his eyes and reaching out for Inko as he weakly called out her name. He knew that someone was holding him but he couldn't be sure as to who it was. It was a blur from there, he could recall waking up a few times, mostly in the night and most of those times he would wake up alone in his room.

From what he could recall the other times, he'd wake up with Inko next to him, curled up against him. Even as he had slept, he knew that she was near him, it was hard not to notice her presents as he slept. He smiled gently at the thought, though what confused him was that he had failed to see Inko in the room this time around. Had she not stayed? Had she taken off on him or maybe she just drifted off in the living room or something?

It was rather strange, though he figured that maybe she had her reasons.

Breathing deeply, Toshinori pushed himself up from his bed and groaned. His body was pretty much screaming at him to stay in bed, that he shouldn't push himself though he wanted to make sure that Inko was okay. He had to keep her safe, and he wasn't sure how long he had been out for. It could have been weeks, what if she had been taken and he hadn't been aware of it? Dear god, he hoped that wasn't the case, he couldn't bare it if he lost her.

Shaking his head, Toshinori leaned against the wall, using it as a means to support himself as he managed to open the door. Seeing that it was still light out, sun shining through the open windows as he took a deep breath. _'Damn it, everything hurts…'_ Toshinori thought to himself.

Looking around, he saw that Inko had kept herself busy, as she had finished framing all of the pictures that he had tried to put up himself. Pictures of himself, his parents, Miyoko. He knew that at some point he'd have to get pictures of himself and Inko, he wanted to keep the reminder that he loves her up where all could see. Well, the ones that would enter his home would anyway.

"Inko?" He whispered softly, his voice still laced with pain as he took another deep breath.

Looking around as he pulled himself down the hall as he tried to find Inko. Everything was quiet in the apartment that much was for sure. Though, he couldn't help but wonder how long he had been asleep for. How long had he been injured for? Shaking his head, the young man took a deep breath, Toshinori found himself out of the hall and walked past the kitchen.

He could smell the remaining traces of baked goods having been baked long ago. Maybe a couple hours so that gave him an idea as to how long ago it had been since Inko had baked something, though he knew that she was still around somewhere. Though, if she had already left for the day he had no idea what he could do.

Tightly grasping his ribs, Toshinori took a deep shuddering breath as he tried to keep up with his tired steps. Why was even walking so painful for him right now? Shaking his head, the young man looked around as he tried to find any source of Inko's green hair and giggles of laughter. Though it was far too quiet for his liking. Tilting his head a little, Toshinori groaned as he held his head for a moment. His head was pounding and he wondered if he would have a headache for the rest of the day.

Making his way to the living room, Toshinori saw that it was freshly cleaned, so Inko had been cleaning. He should have known, she most likely was doing that so she could keep herself busy. She was a worrier after all, he knew that much. Though he couldn't help but be curious as to what more she had done just to keep herself busy and for how long.

Removing his hand from his head, he took a few more careful steps only to yelp as he tripped over his own footing and land on the floor.

Groaning in pain, Toshinori took a few gasping breaths as he felt the pain double for a brief moment. Maybe he'd have to go see a doctor after this. It hurt just to walk around his own apartment, and he was rather amazed that he had been able to stand for as long as he had just to go and find his girlfriend who was still being hunted down by her crazy, stalker of an ex Hisashi.

Shaking his head, the young man managed to push himself up, with some struggling along the way as he held onto the arm of the nearby chair and pulled himself back up onto his feet.

Turning his head, he couldn't help but blink in shock only for his blue eyes to soften. There was Inko, laying on the couch sound asleep. It seemed that she had been polishing the coffee table and had gotten comfy before she had drifted off to sleep.

He couldn't help but smile at her before carefully making his way over to her and slowly eased himself on the couch and looked down at Inko's sleeping peaceful face. How was it that she could look as peaceful as she slept? He knew that he had to have worried her a great deal, and it had him rather curious as to what she was dreaming. Most likely that he may never wake up or if he had somehow left her.

Carefully, he reached over and brushed aside a few stray strands of her hair and smiled gently at her. Inko reached up and tried to brush away his hand, causing him to chuckle a little at that. How was it that even as she slept, she was so adorable and that she didn't even have to try to be?

Giving her a soft smile, Toshinori settled a little more on the couch to make himself a little more comfortable, only to blink when he felt Inko move her arms to wrap around his thigh and her head resting against him. Blushing a little, he couldn't help but look down and saw that Inko had made herself comfortable, using his thigh as both something to hold, and as a pillow.

He chuckled a little at her before gently running his fingers through her hair. Honestly, he still felt a little tired though he wanted to stay awake for as long as he could. He couldn't help but think about the future. At least, a future with him and Inko happily in love forever. He hoped that this, their relationship would last forever.

He could already picture it.

Him and Inko getting married, getting a house and having children. Of course, he would prefer if the children looked more like her than him. He honestly preferred her looks than his own.

Her cooking dinners and of course baking treats. Yet, of course helping her if he wanted too, sending her or even giving her roses himself and dancing with her as they both cooked dinner and watch as their child, or children would grow in their home. He would look after her, give her the life that she deserved and wanted though, he just hoped that she would always be happy with him.

Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori wondered if they could ever have such a life. He was hoping to be a hero, and he knew how sometimes a hero's life was dangerous for both the hero and their families. Sure, he would do all he could to make sure that Inko was sheltered from that life, and of course should they ever have children that he would do all he could to make sure that they were safe as well. Though, that was easier said than done of course.

Sighing, he ran his fingers through Inko's hair as he tried to think on what he should do for her. What he could do to make it up to her for the trouble he had put her through. Sighing softly, the young man wanted to kiss her though, it hurt him just to bend himself and not to mention it was rather awkward to even bend down to kiss her in the first place.

Inko let out a soft sigh of content as she held onto Toshinori's leg in her sleep. She would mumble things under her breath, though he couldn't really make out what it was that she was saying in her sleep, though it was still rather adorable in the first place.

Though, even though he didn't want to wake her up, he knew that sleeping like this couldn't be very comfortable for her back. _'I really need to get rid of that couch…'_ thought Toshinori before he gently grasped Inko's shoulder as he said "Inko, you need to wake up. I think the bed would be much more comfortable than the couch."

Inko let out a soft moan before she tried to shield herself away from his touch as she nuzzled against his thigh. Toshinori blushed darkly as she did so, god why was it that she had so much power over him in the first place? Shaking his head, Toshinori gently grasped her shoulder as he gently shook her. "Come on Inko, I think our bed is a lot more comfortable."

Letting out a soft groan, the young woman rubbed at her eyes as she sleepily opened her eyes and looked up and frowned a little. "Morning Toshi…" Inko whispered before she went to go back to sleep. Toshinori wondered if she had really gone back to sleep, if that was the case there was no way that he could lift her yet. He would have to wait until he had fully healed and would have to go to the hospital so he could heal properly.

It was then that he saw Inko's eyes snap open and looked up at the blonde with wide eyes. She just seemed to stare at him, and well it was starting to make the blonde a little uncomfortable. "Um… hi?" He said shyly, scratching at his cheek as he tried to think on what he could say to her. God, what _could_ he say to her in the first place?

 _"Toshi!"_ Inko all but shouted as she had pretty much thrown herself at the man. Toshinori yelped in a mixture of surprise and pain as he wrapped his arms around the green haired woman. "I didn't know if you'd wake up! Oh god Toshi I was so worried about you! I'm just so happy that you're awake!" Inko all but cried out, tears soaking through his bandages as he held onto her. God, she was really worried, he couldn't help but hold onto her, ignoring his own pain as he let out a soft sigh.

"Inko, I'm so sorry to have worried you." Toshinori whispered as he held onto her. "I never wanted you to worry about me so much." He whispered.

"I love you, of course I'd worry about you!" Inko shouted at him, though her voice was strained as if it hurt her to even speak. The pain must have been terrible and had her so worried that she would cry herself to sleep.

Frowning, he pulled back and gently wiped away her tears as he said "Inko, so long as I hold breath in my body, I will never leave you. So long as I have the choice, no, even if I have to fight my way back to you I will always come back to you so long as you'll have me." Inko sniffled a little as she nodded her head. Toshinori couldn't help but hold onto her, Inko was indeed pained by his injuries, that much was true.

Yet she doesn't know that he was a hero in the making so to speak. He has yet to make himself a well-known hero, but he knew that he still had to tell Inko the truth. He would tell her that he was All Might, but first he wanted to make sure that he was fully healed before he would show her the truth.

After all, his body couldn't change properly if he was still injured since his body had to, so to speak, 'grow out' to show his hero form while he was out and about on patrol.

Looking down at Inko, he couldn't help but hold onto her a little more before he nuzzled the top of her head. "Inko, I want to tell you something but well, I want to tell you after I've healed okay?"

Inko couldn't help but look up at him with a frown on her face. It seemed that she was trying to think on what it was that he was wanting to tell her. Yet, when he saw her eyes shift into panic he quickly started to say "It isn't me leaving I promise you! No, that is the farthest thing I'd ever want to do to you!" Toshinori hoped that she knew his words were true. God, it would take her a while until she adjusted that he wouldn't leave her. He couldn't really blame her for that, that much was true though he just hoped that it would be enough…

Shaking his head a little, the young man calmly said "It's something that I need to show you. I just can't until I've healed though since I'm awake I may be able to go back to the hospital to heal properly now." He chuckled a little before kissing her forehead. "Though, I'd still prefer to have you as my nurse." He said with a chuckle that only seemed to make Inko blush a little at his words. Yeah, life was going to be harder for them for a bit, though he knew that the ending result would be worth it.

That he would always make Inko happy, and that she would never want to go back to thinking about how her life was before he came into it.

Smiling at the thought, Toshinori looked down at Inko again before pulling her a little closer to his chest and kissed her gently. Yup, he would always make sure that Inko was happy.


	20. What!

Inko had been so grateful when Toshinori had finally opened his eyes. To be honest, she had thought that it was a dream to see him wide awake and looking down at her. Though, because he struggled to get around, she had to wait a couple days for him to build up his strength so he could make the trip to the hospital. Well, she of course had suggested that they take a cab there but he just shrugged it off saying that it'd be better for him to just walk. Plus, it was a nice day, may as well spend it walking.

Inko looked up at the tall man as she saw his eyes clouded with confusion. It had concerned her, making her wonder what it was that was going through his head now. Was he trying to think on how he was going to tell her… whatever this secret was in the first place? It confused her, and she knew that it was bothering him.

Why he couldn't just outright tell her, was beyond her understanding though she knew that if he had a reason to show her then well she would have to wait.

"Inko, I'm thinking that maybe we should go for a movie night tonight. Maybe just go out to the theater and see if there is anything good playing. What do you think?" Toshinori asked as he turned his gaze down at her.

Looking up at him with confusion, it seemed that he was nervous. Was this way as a way to get him to calm down so he could show her whatever it was that he had to show her? Making plans so he knew that no matter what he had to tell her, that no matter what it was that she was shown that she would still be there for him.

Giving the man a soft smile, she couldn't help but lace her fingers through Toshinori's, she couldn't help but smile a little more as she saw his face tint pink in a faint blush. "That sounds like a good plan for tonight. Though, remember you still have to show me this secret of yours. Remember?" Inko had of course, spoken gently, showing that whatever it was that he could take his time with it. That he didn't have to rush to tell her but just hoped and prayed with all of her heart that he knew that she would still love him.

"Sometimes I wonder what I did to deserve you Inko." Toshinori said with a soft sigh, his eyes soft yet kept the warm glow to them that made her smile.

"I was starting to wonder the same thing about what I did to deserve you." Inko whispered softly. Her smile soft as she leaned against his side. Toshinori stumbled a little, having a little trouble keeping his balance but he was able to regain his composure as he held onto Inko. It seemed that the two were happy to be walking side by side like this.

A few people would turn to stare at Toshinori and Inko, a few confused but a few had smiling looks on their faces as they watched the couple walking down the sidewalk. Inko didn't really care that they were staring, it didn't matter to her that people stared, she knew that they could stare at either of them but she knew that she was taken, as was Toshinori.

"It's weird being stared at…" Toshinori mumbled, his cheeks pink.

"Maybe it's because a really tall handsome sunflower is with a really short green haired woman." Inko said with a soft giggle.

"I'm a what?" Toshinori asked as he looked down at his girlfriend with a tilt of his head.

Inko blushed when she noticed that she had just called her boyfriend a 'handsome sunflower' that was something that she had, for the most part only ever had in her head. Yet for her to have said such a thing out in the open made her blush so hard that she started to cover her face hoping that the ground below her would swallow her up and kill her.

"Come on Inko, what did you say?" Toshinori chuckled gently, he carefully pride her hands away from her face as he gently gazed at her. "Come on, I won't laugh at you Inko, I could never laugh at you." Toshinori whispered gently, placing his forehead against hers as he gazed deeply into her eyes.

Inko felt her heart beating quickly within her chest as she gazed deeply into his eyes. God, he could get her to do whatever he wanted. Heck, she bet that if he had told her to rob a bank if he stared at her like that. Blushing a little more, Inko whispered "I said that you're a handsome sunflower."

"Hm…" Toshinori hummed in responds, it made her heart beat quicker in her chest as he just seemed to stare at her. His blue eyes glowed brightly as if an idea struck her. "Then if I'm a sunflower, then you are a cinnamon roll." Inko could only blink confusion at that. She just frowned and tilted her head up at her boyfriend as she tried to think as to why he would call her such a thing but really, she could find nothing.

"Why am I a cinnamon roll?" asked Inko.

Toshinori blushed a little as he tried to think of something, anything really though it seemed that he was stuck as to why he would call Inko such a nickname. It wasn't that she hated the idea, but she would love to hear the meaning of such a nickname though just couldn't be sure as to why that was.

"Well, you see…" Toshinori began, struggling to find the right words. Did he even know why he would even use such a nickname? Inko could only sigh as she looked up at her boyfriend, waiting for his answer though it seemed that the answer wasn't mean to be as she then heard a scream.

Inko turned her head to see a building that looked like it would fall apart should a wrong hit be made against it. It worse yet, that it could easily fall apart on its own given time, she had wondered how long this building was closed though before she was about to turn away, she heard another scream. It was coming from the building and it wasn't just the fact that it was a scream of fear that had drawn Inko's attention.

It was the fact that the scream belonged to a young child.

Without really thinking, Inko rushed into the building toward the scream of the child. She had no idea what floor the child was on, though she knew that she had to get to the poor dear before whatever the child was screaming at, grabbed it.

"Inko!" shouted Toshinori as he went to grab her, only to miss. Inko knew that she may be acting foolish. But, something was driving her to go save this child from whatever danger they may be in. "Inko stop!" Toshinori called out to her, she could hear his footsteps behind her, though at the moment she didn't care that he followed her. She knew that she had to do this, as it was the right thing to do. There were no heroes around, so they wouldn't have known that this child needed help to begin with.

Suddenly, Inko felt Toshinori grab her arm, causing her to look behind her and stare into the concerned eyes of her boyfriend. He frowned at her as he said "Inko, its dangerous here. We need to leave."

"No, there is a child here Toshi, I'll leave when I get them…" Inko ripped her arm away from him only for him to grab her arm again and sigh. "Toshi you can't stop me." Inko whispered out.

"I know, which is why I'm coming with you. I want to keep you in my sight to make sure this isn't a ploy to get you away from me." Toshinori pointed out with a soft sigh.

Inko could only smile at that, he was still looking out for her even while he himself was still recovering. Frowning a little, she couldn't help but stare at his chest, her gaze traveling to his arms as she wondered about his injuries. He had ran after her in order to catch her, which yes given how long his legs were compared to hers wouldn't take much but well, she knew that it would still agitate his injuries either way.

"I'm fine Inko, let's just hurry up and find the kid and leave alright? If they're hurt we can take them with us to the hospital." Toshinori calmly said with a smile on his face. Blinking up at him, Inko nodded her head as she started to walk on ahead. Keeping her ears alert as she listened for the child a little more. Hoping that she would have any kind of indication as to where the child could be. Though so far, the only sound were their footsteps, so it made her wonder where they could be.

Looking around, she found no trace of the child, maybe it was all in her head, though she couldn't really be sure of that. At least not yet anyway. There was no telling where the child could have disappeared too. Turning her gaze up at Toshinori, she had noticed that he was looking as well, did he hear the little cry for help as she had or was he just humoring her in the long run? Tilting her head a little, Inko had to know. "Did you hear the scream too Toshi?" Inko asked softly.

"I did, I was about to call for a hero to help out but you kinda ran off on me before I could." Toshinori chuckled gently at that.

Inko could only blush at that. He was going to call for help and yet here she was, rushing off before she could stop herself from doing such a thing. Turning her gaze away, Inko was about to say that she couldn't find the little one until she could make out footsteps from above. "Upstairs." Inko whispered before turning her attention to the staircase that was, thankfully, still intact.

Making her way to the stairs, Inko started to run up the stairs with Toshinori in tow.

"Inko, are you sure that there is even a kid though? Sure it sounded like one, but it could still be a trap." Toshinori whispered lowly so only Inko could hear.

"I'm not a hundred percent sure, but it's still good to check. If there is a chance that a child is here, I'd feel better knowing that I could have done something instead of falling to the sidelines." Inko whispered to Toshinori.

"Alright." He agreed, knowing that the green haired woman was right about this. Inko couldn't help but smile at that. It was nice to know that she had someone on her side about this. Though now they just had to find the poor child before they got caught up in some kind of mess. It wasn't ideal to stay in this building, for all she knew that it could belong to a villain or something and they would be back any minute to attack either her, Toshinori or the child for that matter.

"Inko, look." Toshinori whispered as she turned her gaze. They were on the floor that would be considered as an office space. Though when her gaze hit a closet, she saw something there. It was shivering, either from fear, pain or maybe they were cold. She couldn't help but carefully make her way over to the closet as she knelt in front of it and smiled gently. Whoever this was, she knew that she still had to be careful, and Inko could tell that Toshinori was behind them so she knew that she was still safe even if this did, indeed turn out to be a trap of some kind set up by her ex or even a villain.

"Hey, it's okay we won't hurt you." Inko whispered gently as she had her hands resting on her knees as she waited for whoever it was to come out of their hiding spot.

"You… you won't?" came a shaky voice.

"We won't." Toshinori promised.

A soft sniffle came from the closet, it caused Inko's heart to break at the sound of it. Soon, a little body slowly crawled out of the closet and Inko couldn't help but stare in shock. There, was a little boy, no older than five? Maybe six years old at best. He looked up at her with teary red eyes, his shaggy blue hair hung in his face so it kept most of his hair from view. Though a good look at his face, Inko saw that he had a scar over his right eye and one over the left side of his lip.

Her heart had reached out to him even more when she saw those scars. "It's okay, we'll take you out of here and take you to get some help okay? Is that okay with you?" Inko said softly.

"You won't… you won't hurt me will you?" asked the little boy.

"Of course not sweetie, pinkie swear?" She held out her right pinky and had a calm yet soft smile on her face as she stared at the little boy. He just frowned at her as if trying to figure out if she meant her words were true. He seemed to have been on his own for maybe a little while, his clothes were still in good shape though she couldn't help but wonder what happened to his parents.

Tilting her head a little, the young woman couldn't help but frown as she got a closer look at the boy before pulling herself back. She could tell that he hadn't eaten in a while as well. He seemed to be pretty skinny, she almost wanted to pull him to her chest and take him to a restaurant to get him some food.

Soon, before she knew what was happening Inko felt his pinkie wrapping around hers. His skin felt a little cold to the touch though it makes sense since he had been out and about in nothing but a long sleeved shirt and jeans. Though they were a few holes in the clothes and he wasn't wearing any shoes. "Okay miss, I'll trust you…" He whispered softly.

Inko couldn't help but smile at the little boy before she carefully lifted him into her arms as she whispered "First things first, let's try to get you warmed up okay?" Inko went to remove her jacket until Toshinori beat her to the punch.

"Here Inko." Toshinori said softly as he held out his jacket for the child. Inko just smiled up at Toshinori before wrapping the little boy in her boyfriend's jacket. He leaned in toward the little boy as he asked "So my boy, what's your name? I'm Toshinori, and this is my girlfriend Inko."

"I'm… I'm Tenko."

"Aw, Tenko, what an adorable name!" Inko said with a giggle before pulling herself up to her feet. "Now, we'll get you looked over then get you some food. Does that sound alright to you?" Tenko nodded his head as he nuzzled himself closer to Inko trying to get some warmth. Inko couldn't help but frown a little, he was so cold, the poor dear.

"Hm?" Toshinori frowned a little as he turned his attention to the other side of the room. His eyes widening as he said "Look out you two!" he then shoved the pair over, for right after something had slammed into Toshinori, causing Inko to cry out his name.

"Oh no, he's found me!" Tenko whined as he buried his face against Inko's shoulder shivering like crazy. Inko couldn't help but stare at the child, it made her wonder what it was talking about though right now she had bigger things to be concerned about. Toshinori was still injured and yet he had shoved them out of the way. Inko groaned and whined a little as she pushed herself and Tenko from the ground, holding onto the child hoping to protect him from any and all danger.

Her gaze never fell away from where Toshinori stood and she couldn't help but call out his name. "Toshi! Please be okay!" she shouted.

"He should be the least of your concerns!" shouted a man. Inko turned her gaze at the man and stared with wide eyes. He had a black cloak though it almost seemed to dance around like black flames. It made her fear for herself and Tenko. She knew that she had to protect them, though wasn't sure how she'd be able to get away from him. Inko slowly crawled away from the villain though it only seemed to excite him as a smile grew under his robes. "Do not worry, you'll join him soon enough."

Inko stared with wide eyes as she pulled the child closer. The cloaked villain rushed forward, laughing like a mad man as he made his way toward Inko. She couldn't help but scream out for help, her grip tightening on the child as she went to shield him but what she saw surprised her.

"You won't touch them!" shouted a voice that sounded much like Toshinori's before it seemed to grow a tad deeper. Familiar to her really regardless.

The villain yelped in shock as he went flying, slamming into a wall as he seemed to slid down onto the ground. Inko couldn't help but turn her gaze and stared in shock. Standing there was indeed, All Might but he was wearing a long green sweater and black jogging pants, the same thing that Toshinori was wearing before they left today. His expression was angry, pissed really and it was something that she had never seen on the hero's face before in her life. Now that she saw him, she remembered that Toshinori's clothes were always baggy, yet on All Might they almost seemed to fit him perfectly.

Yet, what she also noticed was the bandages that seemed to show through some of the rips and tears in the sweater and around his head. "Toshi?" Inko said in shock as the hero almost seemed to flinch as he stared at her. "You're All Might?" Inko whispered in shock.

"I… I can explain." All Might, no Toshinori said with a slight shift of his stance before he looked up and crossed his arms before blocking a strike of black flames shooting out at him. Inko looked over and saw bits of rubble left, so the villain had thrown something though, he must have used something huge to have hit Toshinori while aiming for Tenko. "Inko, you need to get out of here while you can, take the kid to the hospital and I'll meet you there!"

"I can't leave you!" Inko said with concern.

"Just do it!" He shouted before rushing in to try to apprehend the villain.

Inko winced before getting up and tried to run only to wince in pain. Her ankle hurt like hell, though she knew that she had to keep running. Her running was slow, more of a limping run really. Though she knew that Toshinori would be able to handle it for the most part.

"Oh no you don't!" shouted the villain as he tried to shoot more flames toward Inko and Tenko.

"You won't touch them!" Shouted Toshinori as he managed to grab the villain and throw him away. "Inko call back up for me! You have their numbers!" Toshinori called out to her.

Nodding her head, Inko managed to pull out her cell phone and called for help. She called for Shouta and Hizashi, knowing that one or both would be awake at least. Though she had a feeling that Toshinori would have him captured within the time the two heroes would arrive. She could feel the building shake and tremble from Toshinori's punches. She hoped and prayed with all of her heart that he wouldn't knock the building down while they were still in it.

"He'll be okay right?" Tenko whimpered from Inko's arms.

"He will, he's a hero after all."

"How did he just changed so suddenly?" asked Tenko.

"I don't really know, I've never known that he could do that myself." Inko said with a frown on her face. Though as she walked, Inko stumbled a little, wincing from the pain as she felt her mind starting to spin, she was trying so hard not to black out. Breathing deeply, Inko fell to her knees and tried to push herself back up to her feet, though was unable too. "Come on, move!" Inko told herself, wanting to hurry up and move before the villain would try to catch her and Tenko. Though she knew that Toshinori wouldn't allow that to happen. But, there was that fear in the back of her mind since the villain was still using fire, even though they weren't breathed out through his mouth like Hisashi.

"Miss Inko, are you okay?" asked Tenko with a frown on his face.

"I'll be okay, I just need to get back up is all." Though as she tried to get up, Inko let out a gasp of pain before calling out in pain as she whimpered from the pain. God, why did this have to hurt so darn much? Breathing deeply, she tried once more to get up only to cry out in shock and about to slap whoever had managed to grab her.

"Inko! It's me relax!" Shouted Toshinori. Looking up, Inko saw that he was there, still in his All Might state before he frowned at her in concern. "It's okay Inko, I managed to tie him up. Amazing really that I found some rope. Let's wait here for help then I'll carry you to the hospital." Inko sniffled a little from the pain though felt a little more comfort when she felt Toshinori holding onto her.

"You have a lot of explaining to do though Toshi." Inko said with a glare.

He froze at that, though he sighed and nodded his head. He knew for a fact that he was in a lot of trouble though knew that right now he couldn't tell her about his powers yet. He'll have to wait until they could be alone.

* * *

It didn't take long to capture the villain, Inko of course was still a little concerned about Tenko. The little boy of course hadn't let her go, as if afraid to. Toshinori, of course remained as his hero self, for the most part and offered to take Inko and Tenko to the hospital. Not like he didn't need to go there himself, Inko knew that for sure.

As they flew through the sky, Inko was a little surprised that Toshinori could hold onto her while she herself, was holding onto the small child. She couldn't believe that Tenko just looked around with wide eyes, eyes that were so full of wonder and joy that she herself couldn't help but giggle at him. "We're so high up!" Tenko said in shock.

"That's just because I'm holding you both." Toshinori said with a chuckle.

Inko looked up at Toshinori as she gave him a look. Toshinori flinched a little before he looked at her. "I promise, I'll tell you everything Inko. I just want you to be looked at and I'll tell you once we get home." Inko sighed softly, she didn't like it, though she knew that this was the only way that they would get anywhere. Turning her gaze to Tenko, Inko felt rather protective over the little boy. She couldn't help but wonder what would happen to him once he was looked after.

He'd end up in foster care but, felt like he would only be lost in the cracks and most likely end up somewhere else where a child shouldn't be. Her heart reached out to him and wanted to keep him safe from everything that wanted to hurt him. "Tenko?"

"Yes?"

"Why was that villain after you?" asked Inko.

Tenko whimpered a little. "I bumped into him and stole his wallet. I was hungry, and he followed me. I tried to hide, I was hoping to stay hidden but then you found me. If you found me then he would have." Inko frowned a little at that. He had to be so hungry, and too had to resort to stealing… her heart was breaking at the thought of it all.

"Don't worry my boy, we'll make sure that you'll never starve again." Toshinori promised with a chuckle. Tenko looked up and stared with wide eyes. Inko couldn't help but smile at the child as she let out a soft sigh and laid her head on Toshinori's shoulders and sighed softly. Her ankle hurt though she just hoped that she wouldn't have to get a cast or anything.

"Here we are." Inko looked up as she stared at Toshinori before turning her gaze to the hospital and sighed softly. At least they had arrived, now she just had to get carried in though before she could do that, Inko found herself and Tenko being carried off to little area that was blocked off. "Hold on, I want to go in as Toshinori, not All Might."

Inko could only watch as Toshinori carefully set the green haired woman on her feet, though Inko had to shift all of her weight to her other ankle before watching her boyfriend seeming to shrink and deflate to the man that she knew and loved. Though she couldn't help but stare at him before letting out a confused sigh. "Inko I know it's hard to find out that I lived a double life… but I promise you that it was only that I was All Might, nothing more."

"Toshi, it isn't just that. I'll tell you later as well." Toshinori nodded before he wrapped his arm around her waist and walked with her into the hospital. The nurse, seeing how the green haired woman couldn't even walk and of course saw Toshinori's bandages, along with the child rushed them to a room. Toshinori and Inko of course blushed as they heard the nurse talk to another nurse.

"Go and get a sucker for their son, I'm sure he's scared." It seemed that they had just assumed that Tenko was their son, though they were right when they saw Tenko shaking in fear.

It didn't take long for them to get a room that was for sure though Inko couldn't help but sigh as she laid on the bed. Tenko of course settled to sit on Toshinori's lap and of course was starting to enjoy a sucker that one of the nurses gave him. He had a small smile on his face as he gave a big smile. Inko smiled at Tenko as he seemed to be swinging his legs back and forth while he sat on the blonde's lap.

A nurse walked in and looked up at Toshinori before turning to Inko. "So, what brings you in today?" asked the nurse.

"Well, we were on our way in for Toshinori to have the rest of his injuries healed. He had agitated them on our way here I think." Inko looked over and frowned as noticed her boyfriend shifting a bit, his face had twinge with pain as he sat there with Tenko. "Also, can you check on Tenko? Otherwise I think I twisted my ankle."

"Very well, though I'd like to check on him first so… Tenko was it?" Tenko nodded a little. "Can you sit with your mommy?" Inko and Toshinori blushed a little. Before either one of them could object, Tenko slid off of Toshinori's lap and made his way over to Inko. The nurse seemed to have a healing quirk, for the moment Toshinori removed his sweater, Inko couldn't help but stare in shock. His bandages had seeped with blood from when he had transformed and had even torn a bit. Not by much though as they had been able to stay intact. Not long after, the nurse laid her hand on Toshinori's injuries and they seemed to have healed. Though only tiny scars remained where the injuries were.

"Now, Tenko? Do you think you can hold still for me? I just need to check to make sure that you are in good health." The nurse tried to sound sweetly, though Tenko still shivered. "Your mommy can hold you if you want." Inko really wanted to cut in and say that Tenko wasn't their child, that she and Toshinori didn't have any children.

Tenko nodded a little and held onto Inko a little. The nurse checked his sight, checked his reflexes and so on. He seemed to be in good health but was under weight. Before the nurse could give a glare, Inko cut in. "We found him, we were on our way here for Toshi's treatment when I heard him in a building. We were attacked but got saved in the end, I hurt my ankle trying to escape." The nurse stared with wide eyes before turning to Tenko and saw him nod a little.

"Alright, let's check your ankle. I can only heal wounds sadly, I can't mend bones and the only doctor that can tend to bones isn't working today so we'll have to do an x-ray. I'll have to ask you some questions first okay?"

Inko nodded to her request. Though she would have been happy to have her ankle tended to sooner than later though knew that it wasn't their fault for not having someone with the right quirk being on shift. "Now, are you um… active?" Inko blushed at that, as did Toshinori. Though Inko nodded her head slowly. "Okay, now, are you pregnant?" Inko frowned a little at that. "It's just as a precaution. X-rays can be dangerous for an unborn baby."

"No, I'm sure I'm not pregnant." Inko said.

"Are you sure? When was your last cycle?" The nurse asked.

Inko frowned a little in deep thought, holding out her hand as she started to count off. She knew that it couldn't be possible, at least she was sure that it couldn't be. Toshinori of course stared at Inko as he saw her counting off and saw her frown a bit. Soon, Inko's eyes widened as she counted off. "It… it's been a while." Inko whispered softly.

The nurse nodded her head before she walked off and grabbed a phone that was near the main doorway. She dialed a number and called for someone to come down. Maybe someone with a blood related quirk? She had no idea, though she knew that this was going to be odd, though for all she knew it could just be just that she was late. Yeah, that had to be it, she was late.

Another nurse walked in and smiled at Inko and Toshinori before looking over at Inko as she asked "So, this is the one you want me to use my quirk on?"

"Yes, it's just to be sure before we do X-rays."

"Alright, I hope you don't mind blood miss." The nurse said before pulling out a needle and walked over to Inko. Though, Tenko yelped and made his way over to Toshinori and held onto him for dear life. It seemed that he was scared of needles. He trembled like a leaf, Toshinori of course held onto the little boy as he tried to sooth the young child.

Inko felt the needle and watched as just a little bit of blood filled the vial before the nurse seemed to… ew. She was drinking the blood.

The woman had a thoughtful look on her face before nodding her head as if she had just concluded her test already. "Sweet… though still too soon to tell gender."

"Wh-What? Gender?" Inko said with wide eyes.

"Yup, you have a baby alright, at least over a month along." The nurse said with a big smile on her face. "Congrats, you're pregnant!"


	21. Fears of Losing You

Toshinori couldn't believe his ears. He was going to be a father, if he was honest he didn't think that he'd ever have children. Sure, he loves kids. Would do anything to see them smile so long as it was within his power. Yet, to hear that he was going to be a father? That, well back then he didn't think that he would ever be a father when he first tried to become a hero.

Now he found out that he was going to be a father and that was a week ago. Though that wasn't the only change that had happened in his or Inko's lives.

They had started to take in Tenko as a foster before they would adopt him. It seemed that he had lost his parents a couple of months ago but that wasn't the only thing that had shocked him at that time besides Inko being pregnant.

 _"So dear, what happened to your parents." The nurse asked Tenko who had gone back to Inko's side._

 _"My mom and dad were killed by villains. They tried to keep me safe but they couldn't escape, I used my quirk to get away through the wall." Tenko said, and it had confused Toshinori that a child could have such a quirk that would allow him to escape. Though he would still have to figure out what kind of quirk the kid had. He pulled his hands away and uncurled his pinky finger away from his palm and it made Toshinori curious._

 _He had noticed that the child would always curl his pinkie finger on both hands when he was grabbing hold of either his sweater or Inko's. It was as if he was afraid to hold onto them but at the same time afraid to let either of them go or out of their sights._

 _"You poor dear. What's your name you sweet child?" asked the nurse with a frown on her face._

 _"I'm Tenko Shimura."_

It was that revelation that had surprised him, he was related to his teacher. The nurse had pulled up files on both Tenko and his parents and it was discovered that Tenko had no other living relatives and Toshinori saw the father's name and his heart twisted at the memory. He was Nana's grandson.

How was it that this had to happen to his teacher's child? A child that had to be given up to foster care, just because her husband died and to be shielded from the world of heroes? Toshinori knew that Nana only did it to protect her child, but now her child is gone and her grandson is out alone in the world. At least, he is for now, they had done all they could for the poor boy.

Toshinori had cleaned out his study and made it into a bedroom fitting a child of his age, though he knew that at some point they would have to clean out a room for the baby… "The baby…" Toshinori whispered softly. God he still needed to talk to Inko about this. If he had wanted anything, no doubt he wanted this child but he didn't want to have a baby while Inko was being hunted down by her ex. Hisashi was still out there, why wasn't he more careful? "Damn it." He sighed softly before running a hand through his hair.

Everything was spiraling out of control at this point. Not that he hated everything that was happening in his life, no far from it. It was just that he had hoped that this would have happened further down the road, after they had captured Hisashi and of course had managed to find a better living space for the two of them to have.

Now it had all been thrown out the window for now.

Not to mention he still had to tell his aunt that he finally did remember Miyoko, and of course tell her about Inko. Among the many other things that had happened in his life and then when Inko got home from work he would have to tell her about his quirk, his hero life among other things as well. He knew that by the end of the night he may end up sleeping on the couch for keeping such a secret from her all this time. God he wouldn't be surprise that she would be pissed with him because of all these secrets.

Sighing softly, the blonde hero ran his fingers through his bangs as he tried to think on how he would explain all of this to Inko, and of course if she would even be willing to stay with him after all of this mess was over and done with. He wouldn't blame her for wanting to leave him because of all the secrets. They had promised not to lie to the other after all, secrets was one thing that Inko hated though at the same time she must have thought that he lied to her.

That itself had to be a kick to his heart. He didn't lie to her, not really. He just went around the truth, only told her what he could tell her. That was about it, otherwise, he had been completely honest with the woman that held his heart within her hands.

He couldn't help but bury his face against his hands as he let out a soft sigh. Everything felt like he was losing control over his life already, he knew that it would happen at some point though maybe when he was older. Now though, he didn't really know what to do. It just seemed like everything was starting to crash down on him and there were just so many 'what ifs' that he had no idea what would happen.

He and Inko still needed to place Tenko in school since he was old enough but right now they still needed to tend to his health more than anything and of course figure out what they were going to do about the baby. _'The baby…'_ Toshinori thought with a frown on his face. Honestly, he wanted to keep the baby, he wanted to raise the baby and Tenko with Inko and hoped and prayed that she didn't want to get rid of the baby.

The thought made his heart clench.

Soon, his attention went to his laptop and he frowned a little as he saw that his aunt was online. Talk about good timing, he may as well do video chat with her. He wanted to talk to her and he just hoped that she wouldn't find some way to beat him up.

He hit her icon and then hit 'video chat' as the screen went black. He couldn't help but wait for her to answer. God, why did he feel so nervous in the first place? HE knew his aunt was a tough woman, she had to be while raising twins on her own.

Soon, the ringing stopped as the screen lit up and a woman came into view. She had long pale blonde hair, it used to be darker but had dulled thanks to age. Her blue eyes still held an electric glow to them and she had a few lines around her eyes but otherwise, still held a youthful look to her. "Hello Toshinori! It's been so long since I've last talked to you!"

Toshinori shifted a little in his seat, knowing that this was going to be a long chat for sure. "Hello Aunt Nicole."

Nicole frowned as she stared at her nephew. It seemed odd to her that he wasn't as lively as he usually was. That itself was a red flag for her and knew that something was bothering him. "Toshinori, what's the matter? You seemed so happy since the last time we talked." Nicole said with a tilt of her head. Her blonde locks falling over her face causing the older woman to tuck the stray locks behind her ear.

"Um… well, where should I start Aunt Nicole…" Toshinori said softly before he looked over at her through the locks of hair that hung over his eyes.

"Try the beginning." Nicole said as she crossed her arms across her chest.

Toshinori sighed as he tried to think on what he could say. It was all such a long story that was for sure though he just had to take it slow as he told his aunt that had happened. "Well, I guess I should start that I… I met someone."

"Oh! Tell me all about her Toshi!" his aunt said with a smile on her face.

"Her names Inko. I met her at a bar and well, we started out as friends." Toshinori explained before he looked down at the floor, unable to look at his aunt. "She looked so empty and lifeless it had shocked me at first really. I felt like I had to help her."

"Toshi…"

"I finally knew why that was Aunt Nicole, I saw Inko's scars and it jogged my memory of Miyoko."

"You… you finally remember her?" When Toshinori looked up he saw that his aunt had tears in her eyes. He was about to say that he was sorry about her tears until she sniffled. "Oh god, I've wanted to hear that you remembered her for so long. I knew that if I forced the memory that you may end up retaliating. You would have attacked me if I forced it or worse all of your memories would have vanished in order to protect yourself."

Toshinori frowned a little as he went to speak more to her, though she waved him off. "Oh Toshi, I'm happy that you finally remember her. When I arrived at the hospital that day I was so scared for you after hearing about Miyoko… I'm just so happy that you remembered! Oh thank you god!"

Toshinori gave her a soft smile as he said "You should thank Inko. She helped me through those memories of mine."

"Oh right, you said that she had scars? Why does she?" asked Nicole with a frown on her face.

"Well…" Toshinori frowned a little as he rubbed the back of his head. He was trying to think of a way to tell his aunt everything but at the same time he didn't want to go into great detail. "Inko was in an abusive relationship herself. She had just broken up with him a few months before I met her, they've been together for about five years."

"Five years?"

"Yeah, she told me that she had finally left him but well we became friends after I saved her from attacking her in the bar." Toshinori smiled a little at the memory. Sure, it was a bad way to think about the first meeting the love of his life before he let out a soft sigh. Looking back up at his aunt, he went on with his tale. "She's being attacked though. He's trying to get her back so um… she's moving in with me for now."

"Toshi?"

"Um… yeah?"

"You didn't start sleeping with her after she moved in did you?"

"No!" Toshinori said with a bright blush on his face. Of course she would think that right away though he couldn't blame her for that. Shaking his head a little, Toshinori calmly said "I gave her my bed, I took the couch." He rubbed his face as he let out a soft sigh. God he didn't expect her to think so lowly of him already though, that did bring him back to his main train of thought. Looking back up at his aunt, he saw that she was making a gesture with her hands to go on with his tale. "We just started dating over a month ago and um… uh…"

"What is it Toshi?"

"Aunt Nikki, do you promise not to be mad at me?" Toshinori asked, he knew that he went back to the old nickname that he used for her years ago but he just hoped she didn't pick up on it.

"Okay, you used 'Nikki' what the hell did you do?" Fuck she noticed.

"What makes you say that?" asked Toshinori.

"Because every time you were a kid and used 'Nikki' instead of 'Nicole' was when you did something you seriously felt like you fucked up on now tell me what the fuck did you do Toshinori Yagi." Damn it, she could read him far too well and that kind of irritated him to a certain degree.

"Um well, you see the thing is…" Toshinori paused, gulping loudly as he felt his skin turning pale as he tried to just blurt it out. To just blurt out the truth about Inko and the baby. Fuck it. "I'm going to be a father!" shouted the blonde haired man.

His aunt just stared at him as her blue eyes seeming to lose their spark for a brief moment. It felt like an eternity to the younger man though he knew that she must be thinking about how much he had fucked up. He must have fucked up badly for this to have happened. "Um… Aunt Nicole?" Toshinori whispered, thinking that she was still trying to process the words.

"Toshi?"

"Uh… yes?"

His aunt just seem to smile at him before he could have sworn that thunder had appeared behind her. If it wasn't for the fact that he knew his aunt was quirkless like everyone else in his family then he would have sworn that she was the cause of it. "You better take on that responsibility or else I'll personally come down there and beat your ass!"

"I am! I want her to have the child, I do but, I'm scared she won't want to keep it." Toshinori said with a sigh.

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, she hadn't really said anything about the baby after we found out. I think she's scared of keeping it, after all we still haven't caught her crazy ex and she found out about my hero persona-"

"You never told her?!"

"I was planning too! It just kinda came out when I was saving her and Tenko-"

"Who is Tenko?"

"He… he's a kid we saved, he's also the grandson of my teacher Nana. Inko and I are fostering him, we're planning to adopt him but at least Hisashi won't think he's our biological child since he's too old to be. But a child that Inko and I created? I think she's scared Hisashi will find out and try to attack her and kill our child." Toshinori explained as he let out a soft sigh. Everything was crashing into him, it felt like it had happened all at once though he knew that he had to let it out but…

"Toshinori, you know what I think?" his aunt asked him.

"What?"

"I think you should talk to her about this. If you don't it'll only hurt you both in the long run, but it'll also give you a chance to talk about what you want to do about the baby."

Toshinori nodded his head as he let out a soft sigh. Okay, his aunt was right about this, it was best that they did talk about this. Though, he just hoped that Inko would listen to him about all of this. "Okay… I will." Toshinori whispered softly before he looked up at his aunt and saw that she was smiling back at him. A true smile this time around though he just hoped that she wouldn't stay mad at him regardless.

"I need to come down there some time." His aunt said with a giggle.

"What?"

"Yes, I think it's time I come down to visit." Nicole said with a smile on her face.

"I hope you didn't forget how to speak Japanese, Inko doesn't know English." Toshinori said with a frown.

"Are you forgetting that I was the one who taught your mother how to speak Japanese." Nicole said with a smile. "Now, tell me about this Inko woman."

Toshinori blinked and blushed a little before a soft smile was on his face. "She's amazing really. Beautiful inside and out. Inko loves to help people, baking and makes amazing tea." Toshinori said with a dreamy sigh as he laid his head on his hand. "Her eyes, they remind me of emeralds and they just sparkle when she's happy, when she gets home I make sure she is happy and relaxed. I would do everything I could to make her happy. I would of course, make sure I could do everything to make her comfortable when she got home and I was home before her. If she was home before me I don't expect her to do anything special for me but she does anyway and it makes me love her more- what? Why are you smiling like that?"

Nicole smiled gently as she said "Honestly, you sound like your mother about your father." Toshinori blinked at that. He reminded his aunt about his mom? Tilting his head, he just stared at his aunt as he hoped that she would explain a little more about them. "When she first met your father, all she did was talk about him and how much she knew that he was the one. They were both happy and did everything together. Were friends, then dated and got married soon afterwards."

That almost sounded like him and Inko. It was strange that they were so much alike in a way though he couldn't help but frown a little more. "Of course, they waited until after they were married to have children but I know this wasn't planned either."

Toshinori sighed softly, at least she understood that this really wasn't planned. Letting out a soft sigh, the young man just looked over his shoulder to the kitchen and saw Inko cooking. Tenko was there with Inko and he couldn't help but smile. It was an adorable sight before he turned his gaze back to the computer screen. "Now, tell me more about everything Toshi, I still need to come down to visit as well."

"Well everything with both of our jobs is going very well Aunt Nicole." Toshinori began.

* * *

Toshinori sighed softly as he sat at the table. He had finished talking to his aunt and they had even made arrangements for her to visit in a few months. Though, he couldn't help but still think about her words. He still needed to talk to Inko about the baby, and he hoped that she would listen to what he had to say. Toshinori already knew that it would be hard enough to raise Tenko as a foster before they can adopt him, though knew that everything that was going on in their lives hadn't really been planned in the first place.

Sighing softly, the young man looked over and saw Inko walking down the hall after she had put Tenko to bed for the night. If he was honest, he knew that she would make an amazing mother though he just hoped that she thought the same thing.

"Inko?" Toshinori asked with concern, causing her to look up at him with wide green eyes.

"Toshi?"

"We need to talk…" Toshinori said with a sigh.

Inko looked away as she asked "Can we not talk about this right-"

"Inko, please…"

Looking up at him, the young woman just stared at Toshinori and he couldn't help but sigh softly. Okay, he knew what that look was. Now that the whole 'baby' thing was out of the way since they both had the same thing on their mind. Having thinking that the other wanted but it seemed that Inko had beaten him to it. "I'm not getting rid of the baby Toshinori. I know that it would have been better to have a child after Hisashi has been caught but I don't want to get rid of it. The baby couldn't help when he or she was made. It was meant to happen and I can't see myself getting rid-"

"Inko." Toshinori chuckled gently, causing her to look over at her boyfriend with a frown on her face. It seemed that it had bothered her a little. "Inko, I want us to keep the baby as well." He said with a chuckle.

It was then that he saw the tears streaming down her face, causing him to panic. "Oh god! I didn't mean to make you cry! I'm sorry!" He was about to get up until Inko managed to pull herself up from the chair and rushed forward, tackling him and of course, the couple tumbled off of the chair and onto the floor. Toshinori blinked in shock before looking over at Inko. Her face was buried against his shoulder before she tightly gripped at his shirt. "Inko, I didn't mean to make you think that's what I wanted, that I wanted you to get rid of our child. Honestly, I thought you were still mad about me keeping my hero persona a secret from you."

"I'm still upset about that though it explains why I seemed to have loved All Might as well. Because he was you." Toshinori blushed a little as he stared at the green haired woman and just seemed to stare at her. The whole time, Inko had also loved All Might, it kind of surprised him that she would love both sides of him but at the same time he couldn't help but sigh softly in content. Running his fingers through her hair, he whispered "I love you Inko."

"I love you too." Inko whispered.

Looking up at him, the young woman just stared at Toshinori and he couldn't help but sigh softly. Okay, he knew what that look was. Now that the whole 'baby' thing was out of the way since they both had the same thing on their mind. Having thinking that the other wanted to get rid of their child when really they also wanted to keep the baby as well.

"You want to know what my quirk is don't you?" Toshinori asked softly.

"I think I have a right to know since you were a hero all this time and seem to be able to shift at will." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"Alright, my quirk is called 'One For All'. It started out long ago when quirks were still new to the world…"

Toshinori sighed softly as he started to explain about his quirk, how One For All, was a quirk not inherited by blood, but by the holder's choice and desires to pass. How it was first given to a young man who had a strong sense of justice by his older brother. No one really knows if the quirk was given because the older brother, who had the power to give and take quirks who was called 'All For One' in the hopes his brother would join him, or to turn him into a mindless vegetable.

The quirk, was to stockpile power originally, something that was useless to the younger brother at the time. But, as it turns out that the quirkless younger brother did indeed, have a quirk. But it was useless to anyone. It was meant to give away his quirk to others, so the two quirks had merged and became the quirk that is now known only to the holders, and in Toshinori's case, a very selective few, 'One For All'. Toshinori turned to look at Inko as he saw the very confused look on her face, he couldn't blame her for that.

It was unheard of for a quirk to be passed on like that, that much he knew for a fact. He had thought the same thing when he was told about One For All, and he had trouble adjusting to such a reality. "It's so hard to believe." Inko whispered.

"I know Inko, I had trouble believing it as well when I was told by my master." Toshinori whispered as he wrapped his arms around his girlfriend. His head resting on the floor as he stared at the ceiling. "Nana told me that the power was to be used as a way, in the hopes that it would defeat the older brother, All For One, so far none of the past users had enough power." Toshinori whispered as he looked down at her, his heart aching at the thought that his next few words. Though he knew that he had to at least give her a way out if she so chose too.

"Inko, it is my destiny to either fight All For One, and hopefully defeat him, or should I fail to have the power to defeat him that I should pass on my power. I won't burden you with my own selfish desires to be with you and our child." Toshinori had a few stray tears rolling down his cheeks as he let out a soft sigh. He couldn't help but hope deep within his heart that Inko wouldn't leave him, wouldn't take away their child. He couldn't help but tremble at the thought of losing her.

"Why would you think that I'd leave you?" Inko asked with a frown, causing him to open his eyes and look down at the green haired woman.

"Because you'll not want to wait around fearing for my safety. Of not allowing our child to see that their father may never come back alive or in one piece for that matter." Toshinori said with a frown.

"You are a silly man." Inko whispered before nuzzling against Toshinori's chest as she let out a soft sigh. He couldn't help but blush a little as he stared down at the green haired woman as she rested on his chest. "I love you, you are the only man that I think I could ever really love at this point." Inko whispered gently before slowly looking up at him, tears pooling in her eyes yet refused to spill. "I don't want to leave you, I don't want our child, or Tenko to grow up without you… I want to stay with you. I don't care if you're a hero, it's just a part of who you are, one of the many things that make you, who you are and if I couldn't love that part of you then I wouldn't really be in love with you." Inko whispered gently.

Toshinori felt his eyes water as he stared at the green haired beauty that rested on his chest. How was it, that he could be so lucky to have Inko in his life? He couldn't really picture a life without her that much was for sure. Though he knew that he Inko was the only one that he could ever love. He had known that the moment he realised that he loved her.

After all, his whole life he had gone on without knowing what love was like. Not the kind of love that he had for his sister, his parents or his aunt. This was a love that he knew that was reserved for only one person and he knew that that person was Inko, and her alone.

Giving her a soft yet teary smile, Toshinori whispered "I love you so much, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you Inko. I will spend every single day of my life if I have to make sure that will always smile, always laugh as will our children."

Inko couldn't help but laugh softly as she held onto Toshinori as the two shared a loving kiss.

"What's going on?" asked a tired voice, causing the two to look over and see a sleepy Tenko. He was wearing a white and blue t-shirt with blue flannel pajama pants. He was rubbing at his eyes as he sleepily at the two on the floor.

"We're just happy is all, just having a nice chat and how we're already thinking of you as our own child." Toshinori said with a smile. Tenko blinked slowly as if registering what it was that was just said. "Really?" He said with a tilt of his head.

"Of course we do sweetie." Inko said with a smile before holding out an arm. "Wanna lay on the floor with us? We're just cuddling."

Tenko smiled a little before snuggling against Toshinori's side, opposite of where Inko laid. Though it seemed that Tenko was still having a little difficulty with his grip, as if he was scared of having a full grip with all his fingers. Toshinori knew that tomorrow he'll have to ask Tenko how his quirk works and what it was. Though…

 _'For now, I'll just hold my family in my arms.'_


	22. The Letter

Inko sighed softly as she laid on the bed. She felt rather content, though she knew that for the next handful of months or so, she would still have few troubles with her pregnancy. It was strange to find herself pregnant though at the same time she didn't mind it at all. She was having Toshinori's child, a child that she and Toshinori created, though she also wouldn't complain in the least. Inko couldn't help but roll over in her half-asleep haze as she found herself facing Toshinori's board chest and all but giggled.

Snuggling a little closer to his chest, Inko felt him mumbling something under his breath and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face against her hair as he let out a soft sigh. Inko giggled a little as she looked up and stared at Toshinori's face. He looked so calm, peaceful and had a small content smile on his face as he went back to snuggling against her.

How it was that he could still find himself wanting to snuggle her when at some point she would be too big for him to even hold her in the first place?

Laughing softly, Inko wriggled around a little in Toshinori's arms. She couldn't help but look back up at her boyfriend as he just seemed to hold onto her as if she was nothing but his personal teddy bear. That was one thing that she found endearing about the man. He was adorable that way, yet he had his doubts about things in his life. Such as when he thought that she would leave him because of a destiny that he himself hadn't chosen, but had chosen for him.

She wouldn't leave him because of that.

Inko let out a soft sigh, if she was honest, it did scare her. When she saw Toshinori injured and unconscious, she won't lie that it did scare her. It had frightened her, but she felt better knowing that he just seemed to sense her and reacted to her presents. Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman couldn't help herself as she snuggled Toshinori's chest a little more. Really, she wanted to feel a little more comfort while in his embrace.

Peeking up at Toshinori's sleeping face, she couldn't help but wonder if he had to work today. Hm… how could she wake him up for that? If he did, then he would have most likely set an alarm though there was an odd time that he would have forgotten about setting the alarm or even just turning it on. She had told him a couple times now that he should at least set a second alarm to go off, such as having his cell phone be set to wake him up at the same time every day in case.

Though he would shrug it off saying that he'd be fine.

Getting an evil idea, Inko grinned as she leaned closer to Toshinori and buried her nose against his neck, breathing deeply. He shuddered a little and seemed to tighten his hold around her. Though not by much, though that was something that just made her smile either way. It seemed that he would still react to her actions while he was asleep.

Giggling softly, she carefully pressed her lips against his throat in a gentle kiss as she heard him moan a little and groan. His body shivering a little though she couldn't help but be rather curious as to if he was cold or excited. His hands tightened their hold on her waist and shoulder though not painfully so. Scooting a little upward, Inko pressed her lips against his.

Toshinori groaned and moaned a little against the kiss before he opened his eyes and sleepily stared down at Inko. A cute pout appearing on his face as he said "That is a mean way to wake me up." He just kept giving her a pout and Inko couldn't help but giggle up at him. "It isn't funny Inko." He mumbled cutely.

"I can't help it, you look so adorable. You make me think of a child who couldn't get what he wanted." Inko said with a smile on her face before nuzzling against his chest.

"Inko come on…" Toshinori whined, though Inko could feel his heart beating quickly within his chest and it only made her laugh a little more. "It isn't funny." He whined a little more.

"It's like we have two children in the house instead of one." Inko said as she looked up at her boyfriend's pouting face.

"What do you mean? There are two children in the house." Toshinori said with a frown on his face.

"What do you mean to that?" Asked Inko.

"Well, there is Tenko, and the baby." Toshinori said with a soft blush on his face, removing his one hand from her shoulder as he scratched at his cheek shyly. "I know the baby isn't born yet but… it's still there. It's still a part of the family regardless of it being born yet or not."

Inko giggled a little before kissing his cheek. "Well, I love that you think that but I was mostly calling you a child Toshi." Inko said with a soft yet happy smile on her face. Toshinori of course blushed and pouted at her words only to soften a little before he nuzzled his nose against her hair and sigh softly in content. God, she loved this man, nothing would change that that much Inko knew though she just hoped that they could always feel like this.

"I'm not a child." Toshinori pouted a little more before he let out a soft sigh, the sound of his alarm buzzing in their room. He reached over Inko and slammed his hand on the snooze button. "Well, I may not have woken to the alarm, I didn't mind how I was woken up. Though you stay in bed a little longer, I'll make breakfast for everyone." With that, Toshinori rolled out of bed and yawned as he stretched. Arching his back before he grabbed his house coat and made his way out of the bedroom and down to the kitchen.

Inko couldn't help but smile at Toshinori as he left their room. He had been so helpful toward her ever since they met. For that, she would always be grateful, now their lives were starting to blossom, even though she knew that Hisashi was still out there she had no idea what would happen. Though what she did know, was that she still had think about her future with Toshinori, and of course for Tenko when they could officially adopt him and of course think about the baby.

Frowning a little, Inko reached down and touched her still flat belly. She knew that she wouldn't start showing yet, she was only three months along, actually barely even that. Yawning softly, Inko knew that she and Toshinori still had plenty of time to find another apartment, plus it would make things harder for Hisashi to find her if she moved again.

Snuggling a little deeper into the blankets, the young woman couldn't help but let out a happy sigh as she tried to get a couple more minutes of sleep.

"Inko!" called a voice, causing Inko to roll over toward the voice and smiled a little as she saw Tenko on the other side of the bed. "It's time for breakfast, come on! Toshinori told me to go get you so you could eat." Inko was about to pull the blankets away though it seemed that Tenko wanted to help as he seemed to have grabbed a hold of the blanket as well, but in that instant it was what had placed Inko in shock.

The blanket had disintegrated.

Inko just stared in shock and looked up at Tenko as she saw him staring at her in horror. Now she understood how he was able to get away, he was able to disintegrate objects into dust. Inko let out a scream of shock and surprise, though Tenko had taken it as a sign much, much worse. As the moment he heard Inko scream, he ran out of the room as fast as his little legs would carry him.

Inko could also hear heavier footsteps in the hall as Toshinori entered the door. "Inko?!" He called with worry in his eyes.

"It's Tenko, go after him Toshi! He just used his quirk but I think he did it by accident. Please go after him!" Inko said with worry.

It seemed that Toshinori had noticed that the blanket was gone, and in its place was a lot of dust. "Inko, go get cleaned up alright? After I find Tenko we'll all have a talk okay?" Inko nodded her head at Toshinori's words and knew that it was for the best. Though, she just hoped that Toshinori found him soon, because she wanted to let him know that his quirk didn't scare her, just surprised her.

* * *

Toshinori ran around the house looking for Tenko. Though he had first made his way to the kitchen and turned off the stove before he went back to his search for Tenko. "Tenko, where are you my boy?" called Toshinori. He couldn't help but feel like the child was scared out of his mind, why else would he run? He must have thought that Inko must have been terrified of his quirk. It wasn't like Tenko tried to attack her. Though, Toshinori knew that he would have to figure out what his quirk was.

He knew that the boy must have some kind of quirk that wouldn't allow him to grasp things properly, that much he had gathered from all the times that Tenko would have held onto him with only four of his fingers on each hand. Leaving his pinkie curled up. Now he knew why.

He could make objects disintegrate that much was for sure.

Though, Toshinori knew that the boy was still scared and he couldn't blame him for it. Any child would be scared if an adult had shown some kind of fear, regardless of how small it was. That much he knew, though he hoped that Tenko would listen to him at the very least.

Making his way around the apartment, he kept quiet, listening for any sound and it was then that he could hear soft sniffles coming from the closet. Of course he would hide in there. It was a closet that Inko and Toshinori found him in at the abandoned building. Carefully, he made his way over to the closet and gently knocked on the door. "Tenko?"

"Go away." Tenko whimpered out.

"I want to make sure you're okay my boy. Mind if I join you?" Toshinori said with a frown on his face.

"I don't care." Tenko whispered softly.

Toshinori sighed softly as he sat down on the floor and with some maneuvering, managed to sit next to Tenko as he sat curled up on the floor. He seemed sad, upset and scared. That much Toshinori could see in the boy, and it made him frown a little. Looking over at Tenko, he saw that the child trembled a little as he curled up in a ball, in a way it reminded him of Miyoko. Toshinori gave the boy a small sad smile before placing a hand on the boys head and ruffled his hair.

"Hey! What are you doing?" asked Tenko as he waved his hands a little in the air, trying to get Toshinori to stop messing with his hair.

"Sorry my boy, you just reminded me of my sister when we were kids." Toshinori said with a soft sigh, leaning against the wall in the closet as he closed his eyes in deep thought.

"Sister?" Tenko asked with a frown on his face.

"Yeah, when we were your age, my sister and I lost our parents." Tenko stared with wide eyes hearing that. He couldn't help but stare at the blonde adult with a frown on his face as he tilted his head. "My sister was a rather sensitive girl really, it hurt her when we lost them and I promised to protect her." Toshinori said with a sad sigh.

"Where is she now?" Tenko asked with a frown.

"She died six years ago, well I guess now almost seven years ago." Toshinori whispered softly as he looked down. "I didn't have the power that could have protected her. I still sometimes wished that I could have done something better to protect her."

"Do you miss her? Miss your parents?" asked Tenko.

"Of course I do. Don't you miss your parents Tenko?" Toshinori asked with a tilt of his head, he wondered if the boy even had good memories of his parents.

"I do, though they were a little scared of my quirk but still tried to help me with it though we couldn't find a way to stop me from using it by accident." Tenko said with a frown on his face before he looked away. Toshinori frowned a little, it seemed that his parents were only concerned about their son's quirk from being used on others. Hm, it did give Toshinori an idea on what he could do for him about his quirk though he would have to make a call. "We were out shopping when we were attacked by the villain and I managed to get away but they… they died."

"I'm sorry my boy. But, you know Inko and I will protect you. We won't leave you, you know that right?" Toshinori said with a frown on his face.

"But, Inko screamed when I used my quirk by accident." Tenko whispered.

"I think you just surprised her. She's been through worse things than that before my boy." Toshinori said softly, pulling the boy close to his side in the hopes of comforting him.

"Like what?" asked Tenko.

"Sadly my boy that is a story that I can't go into. But, what I will say is that she was with someone years ago that hurt her badly. Both emotionally, and physically." Toshinori said with a sigh as he looked out of the closet and heard Inko's footsteps. It seemed that she was out of the bedroom now, most likely having cleaned up after Tenko destroyed their blanket. Turning his gaze to the boy next to him, he calmly said "Now, I bet you're hungry. I made pancakes so I hope you like them." He chuckled a little.

"I could use some food." Tenko whispered softly before he crawled out of the closet. Toshinori let out a big smile before he managed to get out of the closet though when he looked up, he saw Inko standing in front of him. She had a small smile on her face as she giggled a little.

"I think I know why you like looking down at me so much, it's cute finding someone shorter than me." Inko said with a giggle before helping her boyfriend up to his feet.

Toshinori smiled at Inko before kissing her cheek. "Come on, I have three people to feed." Toshinori said with a chuckle before walking with his girlfriend to the kitchen. Tenko of course was already at the table waiting for breakfast, and if he was honest, Toshinori just laughed a little more. Yeah, life was perfect so far.

Though, he knew that he still had a phone call to make to get something made for Tenko about his quirk.

* * *

The phone call wasn't as bad as he had thought. Toshinori was happy that he had some contacts at UA that could make something up that would at least give him an idea on what he could use for Tenko and his quirk. Though, the boy didn't really seem to care what was used for him other than to be able to still grab onto things with his full grip. Toshinori knew that gloves would be the best choice though he had to hope and pray that there something that he could either easily remove when he would need to use his quirk, though he may not even use them all that often.

Toshinori was going over a few things on his laptop, mostly things that he would look up either for Tenko and of course what he and Inko would need for the baby later on. "Baby…" He said with a small smile, it was something that he never thought would ever really happen. Maybe it would have for Miyoko if she had lived and had a full life ahead of her.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young man leaned back in his seat as he tried to think on what he could do. There had to be something that he could have done for his sister. It still bothered him that he couldn't have done a thing for her back then, yet what else bothered him was that she never told him why she stayed with such a man. There had to be a reason why that was, though he knew that he still couldn't do anything to change it now anyway. "She's gone and never coming back."

Suddenly, he felt his hand brushing against an envelope on the table and he frowned as he turned. It was a letter, addressed to him. Though what surprised him the most was that it was in his sister's writing. "Yoko?" He whispered gently as he picked it up and ripped it open before he started to go over it.

 _Dear Toshinori,_

 _I just want to say that if you are reading this, I am sorry that I had to leave you. I wanted to keep going, I wanted to be strong like you but no matter what choices I made, do not blame yourself for it. I won't lie to you Nori, I wished that I had listened to you, though I just wouldn't listen to you. I wonder if mom, dad, and Aunt Nicole would have liked the choices I have made. I know I didn't, and wished that I had made a better choice._

 _I want you to live the life that I couldn't. I want you to be happy and know that even if I'm not there that I'll be looking after you. Maybe if you were to have a child, one that's a girl you'd name her after me huh? Ha, I'm kidding, I think you'd find a better name than mine for your future daughter._

 _Nori, I know you have tried many times in the past to get me to leave Takahashi, and I won't lie I wished that I did. He's only getting worse, it's as if he is getting off on the idea of hurting me. Knowing that he can't get caught. He thinks that because fire quirks are not a rare thing, that anyone could get away with it, that he could never get caught. Nori, I want you to do a few things for me._

 _I want you to live your life without any regrets. Live your life how you'd want to live it, and be happy. Be the hero you wish to always become even though I still don't understand how you got a quirk so late in life but know that I am happy to be the sister of a future amazing hero. Be happy, help those in need and I know, that you could be an amazing symbol of peace like you've always said you'd be._

 _Nori, I know you're wondering why I stayed with Takahashi, and I won't lie but I was scared for you. He kept saying that if I tried to get away from him, tried to leave him that he would find a way to hurt you. I know that you are a powerful hero that with an amazing and powerful quirk but I couldn't and didn't want to take that risk with you. I was afraid to lose you like how we already lost our parents… I don't think I could handle it if I lost you too. Just thinking about losing you makes my heart ache, just know that again, my choices weren't your fault. They were never your fault, never blame yourself for what is going to happen to me and move on with your life._

 _I love you Nori, live your life to the fullest and never let go of whatever you hold dear in your life. Do all you can to fight and keep your loved ones in your life. Never forget Nori, you have people who will love you. I know you do, after all Shouta and Hizashi tell me such when I would hang out with them when I could get away from Takahashi. Just remember, don't you ever forget that I love you Nori, that I will always love you and I know I never thanked you enough for protecting me growing up but… thank you so much Nori. Thank you for all that you have done for me after all these years. Just remember, I am here for you, in spirit…_

 _Thank you, love always your dear sister Miyoko._

Toshinori just stared at the letter with wide eyes, he couldn't help but feel his body tremble as he felt tears building in his eyes as he read the letter. She never blamed him, never placed any blame on him for not being able to protect her from her boyfriend. After everything that she had been through, everything that she had to deal with she blamed herself for not being strong enough to fight back.

Yet, to also know that she was only staying with him because her boyfriend, threatened Toshinori's life was enough to tell him that she was a strong woman. A woman that was fighting a man that had a fire-based quirk, that she would put herself through such hell and torment just to keep her brother safe. Toshinori tightly shut his eyes as he tried to get the pain in his heart to cease. Yet, it seemed that it wouldn't come to pass as easily.

"Toshi?" came Inko's voice, causing him to open his eyes as he looked up at his girlfriend and saw the concerned look on her face.

"Sorry Inko, I didn't mean to worry you." He tried to wave off her concern, trying to smile brightly as if he wasn't in any kind of emotional pain.

"Toshi, you're hurting." Inko whispered before wrapping her arms around him and pressing his head against her chest. Toshinori blushed a little though he was still in shock. Inko let out a soft sigh as she ran her fingers through his blonde locks as she let out a breathy sigh. "Toshinori, you shouldn't keep it bottled up like this. What's wrong?" Inko whispered.

"I saw Yoko's letter, I don't even know how it got there." Toshinori whispered.

"The guys handed it to me when they brought you home unconscious. I left it in here and… forgot about it." Inko whispered softly. Sighing softly, the young woman ran her fingers through his hair as she looked down at Toshinori as she whispered "Talk to me Toshi, you don't have to tell me what was written, that is between you and your sister, no one else. But, just talk to me about how your feeling."

Toshinori buried his face against Inko as he held onto her, letting out choked up sobs as he felt his heart breaking. Though, he also noticed for the first time in years his heart felt light, as if the heavy burden that had once been resting there since his sister's death, even after he forgot about her, he felt the weight now being lifted from him and he now felt free. As for Inko, she was there to pick up the pieces.

Much like how he had done the same for her many, many times and for the rest of the night, Toshinori had gone through what it was that the letter made him feel. Though, he also told Inko about the contents of the letter but it was still hard for him to talk after reading Miyoko's final words, but he knew that it was just the first stage of recovering for him.


	23. Names

Inko sighed softly, she's four months along now and she could tell that Toshinori was still very excited, and very nervous about the baby. Plus, the fostering with Tenko was going along smoothly otherwise. Though, she still couldn't help but be worried about either one of her boys. Tenko was still worried about hurting her with his quirk though it seemed that he had at least for the most part relaxed around her, for that he was thankful.

Running a hand through her hair, Inko looked at the time on her phone and smiled as she saw that she had some time left as she made her way over to Mitsuki's home. They had arranged to spend some time together, and she had to admit that it was nice to be able to get out and have some girl time. Yet, she also couldn't deny the fact that she was still nervous in cars since her accident.

Rubbing her forehead, the young woman looked out the window as she saw that she would be near Mitsuki's home soon. It was strange that they were both expecting now though, it just meant that their children were to be friends. Or at least that was the plan though she couldn't help but be happy at the idea.

Though, she just hoped that her child could still have a happy life. One where he or she didn't have to worry about anything in the world and that would make everything better. At least, she hoped that would be the case.

Frowning a little in deep thought, Inko couldn't help but think on how she found Toshinori the other night. He had found the letter that Shouta and Hizashi left for her to give to him but with everything going on she had forgotten about it. Yet he found it, and read it… and nearly broke down. His sister's final words to him and yet she didn't give him any clue as to who this 'Takahashi' man was. Though she wasn't sure why but she knew that she heard it somewhere before.

Shaking her head, the young woman knew that it wouldn't matter if she remembered where she heard it or not, it wasn't like she could just tell him that she had heard such a name before yet, she just had a nagging feeling in the back of her head that it was still important to her or something. Or at the very least, important for her to tell Toshinori about it.

Running her fingers through her hair, Inko knew that this was going to bother her for a while though she just hoped and prayed that this would leave her as well.

"We're here miss." Came the cab driver's voice, causing her to look up and smile. Handing him the correct change for the fare, the young woman made her way out of the cab and toward her friend's home.

It was a bit of a struggle for her, though not as much as someone would think. Even though she was four months along, she was still fairly small which she found rather amazing since Toshinori was so tall. Maybe the baby would take after her and be short. She giggled at the thought, her child being as short as her that would be a bit of a chuckle from the two of them though she wondered what would happen should she have a girl.

A little girl that looked like her, but had her father's hair and eyes. Oh, it made her smile at the thought of it and she couldn't help but be curious if that would happen.

Oh, or even a little boy, one that looked like Toshinori but with her hair and eyes. Hm… she'd have to start coming up with names and well, she did have a couple ideas that she wanted to go over with Toshinori but, he had seemed a little stressed out lately that she didn't want to bother him too much about it. He had so much on his plate now that bothering him would only cause him unneeded stress.

Well, she knew that All Might was still on her case, so did that mean that Toshinori was still searching for Hisashi? That could be a possibility, though she had thought that he would have been taken off the case since he was involved with her. Though if he was still on the case, then she was sure that he would capture Hisashi and give him what was deserved.

Looking up, she saw that she had already arrived at Mitsuki's door and smiled a bit. It was strange being back here since the last time she was here, she ended up getting in a car accident, and that she was still scared of cars, well at least sometimes. She felt better in them when she was with Toshinori or Tenko. Both of her boys wanted to keep her safe, and it surprised her that Tenko already worried about her. Though, maybe it was because she was the one that found him and he had formed a bond with her kind of like that of a baby bird.

He had imprinted on her.

Inko smiled a little bit, it made her smile really. Even though she and Toshinori were expecting their own child now, it seemed that Tenko already saw them as his parents. At least in a way, even though he still didn't call them 'mom' or 'dad' yet, she wouldn't push it on him. After all, that may only hurt him more since she had no idea how long it had been since he lost his parents, it may still hurt him a little bit.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young woman couldn't help but wonder what would be down the road for her now. Tenko would most likely be going to school soon, most likely in the fall since it was too late to put him in and Toshinori would want to put him in a school mostly for hero's children so he would be better protected. Inko couldn't fault him for that, he was worried and she was thankful for that even if sometimes he would go a little too far.

"Inko?" came a male voice, it almost made her freeze, only to relax when she looked up. It was only Masaru. He hadn't changed much over the years, though it seemed that he was trying to grow in a mustache. "Mitsuki's in the living room, come on in." He said with a smile on his face. Inko returned his smile, really she couldn't blame him for his setting her up with Hisashi. Mitsuki had told her time and again that he felt bad about it, that he felt bad about setting her up with Hisashi, that if he had known about his behaviour that he wouldn't have paired the two up in the first place.

Once she made her way into the living room, Inko smiled as she saw Mitsuki she couldn't help but wave. "Hey Mitsuki." Inko said before taking a seat.

"I'll let you two catch up." Masaru said with a smile only to end up chuckling before he made his way to the kitchen.

"Hey Inko, it's been a while since I've seen you-wait are you pregnant?" Mitsuki said with wide eyes only to grin widely. "Oh my god I didn't think Toshinori had it in him! So, boy? Girl? Oh my god are you pregnant with twins?! You know, since he was a twin and all." Mitsuki was going a mile a minute with her questions that it was starting to make Inko dizzy and knew that she would have to cut her friend off at some point.

Shaking her head, Inko calmly said "Mitsuki, breathe!" Mitsuki stopped for a moment before blinking her wide red eyes only to smile. Inko took her seat as she said "Now, to answer some of your questions, I don't know if we're having twins and I don't think we are since I'm still pretty small for four months. Though I do have a couple names in mind for the baby for both genders, though I don't know if Toshinori would be happy with one."

"Why?"

Inko looked down at her lap as she let out a soft sad sigh. "I figured that… maybe, if the baby is a boy that I could name him Izuku."

"I don't see a problem with Izuku." Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

"No, it's the name I want to use for a girl that he may have a problem with." Inko whispered softly.

"You want to name your daughter after his sister don't you?" Mitsuki asked with a frown on her face. Inko could only nod at that, it was something that had been circling around her mind for a week or so. Something that she had wanted to talk to Toshinori about though wasn't sure if she even had a right to do such a thing. To even think about naming their child, their daughter should they be blessed with one, after his sister.

"I just don't know Mitsuki, he tries to hide it but he is still pained by her death. It seems that he can't find closure like how I can't when it comes to Hisashi." Inko whispered as she leaned against her seat as she rubbed her belly. "His friends left a letter that his sister wrote before she died and they had been holding onto it for years until they were sure that he would remember her. Though, it seemed that even reading her letter that it wasn't enough to calm his heart." Inko whispered softly.

"It seems that he can't find true closure until he finds the man who was abusing her. Though I did some research of my own and I can't say that I found anything but I did discover something." Mitsuki said with a sigh.

"What?" asked Inko.

"Well, I did some digging and there is no man named Takahashi here or even records of him being born here." Mitsuki said, causing Inko to stare with wide eyes. "Whoever this is, it seems that he only told Miyoko his surname, refusing to tell her his first name in the fear of getting caught. Sadly, there are a lot of people with Takahashi as a surname so I can't find anything." Mitsuki said with a sigh as she ran her fingers through her ash blonde hair.

"Nothing?" Inko asked with a frown.

"Sadly, there is no records about when it comes to dating and it seemed that Miyoko didn't leave any kind of hint as to who he was."

"Fire…"

"What?"

"I remember Toshi telling me one part of the letter, he had a fire related quirk that much I know for sure. I know fire is a bit of a common quirk but there has to be something for that right?" Inko said, hoping that this little bit of information would be enough to find whoever it was that was with Miyoko before she hung herself.

"Hm… that could be useful, I'll take another look. Though I can't make any promises Inko, if anything it may bring me back a little further away from finding the truth but I'll do all I can to help Yagi for all that he's done for you Inko." Mitsuki said with a smile on her face. How was it that Mitsuki was willing to go so far out of her way just to help her and Toshinori with something that wasn't even her problem in the first place? Inko couldn't help but smile at that, Mitsuki was willing to go so far out of her way to help her friends, even though she had so much sass when it came to certain things.

"Now, tell me what else has been going on in your life. You haven't told me much of anything lately." Mitsuki said with a frown on her face.

"Well, Toshi and I are planning to adopt a little boy named Tenko. We saved him from a villain and, oddly enough it turns out that he is the grandson of his teacher. He's orphaned and Toshi can understand him since he had also lost his parents at a young age. So he understands." Inko whispered softly.

"What else?"

"Well, he seems to have a decaying quirk, we found out when he destroyed my blanket while trying to get me out of bed. Toshi has an idea on how to help him control it since Tenko tends to keep his pinkie finger from touching anything so he doesn't use it." Inko explained before letting out a soft sigh. "He also seems to have imprinted on Toshi and I already, though he doesn't call us mom or dad yet."

"He's scared too isn't he?" Mitsuki asked.

"That's what I'm thinking, yeah. But, I'm giving him the choice to call us that if he wants. So far we aren't going to push him into anything that he doesn't want." Inko whispered softly.

"How does he feel about the baby?"

"Not really sure, he hasn't said anything about it so far though he was with us when Toshi and I found out. We wanted him to be looked after as well and well…"

"So you don't really know, I'm sure it'll be found out soon enough."

"I hope so Mitsuki, I hope so."

* * *

Toshinori was going through some paperwork as he went over Inko's case. IT seemed that no matter what happened, they were always one step behind Hisashi. It seemed that no matter what he did, the man was always gone before they could capture him.

Now, with Inko being pregnant he knew that he had to hurry and find the man before anything should happen to Inko or the baby. Tenko, of course would be safe for the most part since he was normally picked up with Shouta, Hizashi or by himself or Inko from his tutors. Though he would prefer to have Inko stay at home but he knew that he couldn't force her to stay in the house. She was a free spirit that much was for sure.

Toshinori ran his hand down his face as he tried to think, he knew that he had to come up with a plan. There were so many things that he had to do in order to keep his child and girlfriend safe. But how?

Slamming his head on his desk, Toshinori didn't know what he was to do. It just felt like everything was falling apart yet still coming together. It just seemed really odd to him, though he was still hitting a brick wall, but what could it be? Sighing softly, Toshinori looked up and stared at the picture of him and Inko on his desk, he couldn't help but smile at the memory. It was a bit after they had started dating and so far the only picture that the two had taken.

That would need to be solved soon, though he just hoped that he would be able to do so.

Letting out a soft sigh, the young man pushed himself up from his desk, it was odd to have his desk in the living room but, it was a sacrifice that had to be done. After all, Tenko couldn't sleep in a room that was full of paper work among his other necessities for his study. Oh well, he'd have to try to make sure that he had the study in their new home though that was going to have to be something else he'd talk with Inko later on.

Along of course, baby names.

Frowning a little, the young man couldn't help but wonder what it was that Inko would name the baby. There had to be something, anything that would give him an idea as to what he would name the baby. He of course, wanted to name their child, should it be a girl, after his sister. He couldn't help but wonder if Miyoko would have been happy with his life, he had wanted to show his sister the life that he had lived thus far though he was sure that even if she had lived, that she may have been sad about his life until Inko came into it.

"Miyoko… I'll find a way to find the man who made you end your life." Toshinori said with a frown though for now he had to focus on the man who was hunting down his girlfriend. Now, he would also be attacking the life that they both had created, a life that he wanted to protect and nurture with happiness, love and joy.

Soon, he heard the door open and blink as he heard footsteps rushing into the apartment. Toshinori turned around and smiled as he saw Tenko running into the apartment and made a b-line for the TV. "Tenko, go wash up for dinner first." Toshinori said with a frown on his face.

"Aw, can't I watch a little bit of TV first?" asked Tenko.

"Fine, I haven't started dinner yet anyway. But the moment I tell you to wash up go wash up." Toshinori calmly said with a sigh.

"Okay." Tenko said with a smile on his face.

"Toshi!" Inko said as she made her way over to her boyfriend. He couldn't help but grin as he saw the love of his life and made her way over to him. Grabbing a hold of her hand, Toshinori pulled the green haired woman to his lap and wrapped his arms around her. "Toshi, come on I wasn't gone that long." Inko whispered gently.

"I know, but I still miss you while you're gone." Toshinori whispered softly before kissing her cheek. "So, how was your visit with Mitsuki?"

"Good, though she has been some digging on her own." Inko said with a frown on her face.

"Like what?"

"Well, don't be mad?"

"Why would I be mad?"

"She's looking into Miyoko's case."

Toshinori froze at that. Turning his wide blue eyes at her, he opened his mouth as if to say something but the words wouldn't come out. Shaking his head, he was about to ask her what was going on until she had already beaten him to the punch. "She found out that Miyoko, never really knew his first name."

"But-"

"No, he only told her his surname. Takahashi is only his surname. So, she is looking into anyone with that last name and who has a fire related quirk."

"But Inko, the trail is cold, it has been for years." Toshinori whispered with a frown, pain in his heart.

"Mitsuki is very resourceful."

Toshinori couldn't help but sigh as he held onto the young woman that was in his arms. How was it that he could love this woman even more? Sighing softly, the young man didn't know what more he could do. Honestly, he had given up on finding her case by usual means, and had thought that no matter what, nothing would get him closer to who took his sister's life. Though at this rate it would seem that maybe he would be closer to not only finding Hisashi, but Miyoko's ex as well.

"I see." Toshinori whispered softly.

"Toshi, I wanna ask you something…" Inko whispered softly.

"Sure, what is it?" Honestly, he could use something to get away from all the gloom.

"Well, I picked names for the baby and I wanted to go over them with you. Or at least my favourite one for a girl, and a boy." Inko said with a smile, though was staring at him shyly.

Toshinori titled his head a little before he looked down at her belly. He couldn't help but give a small smile as he thought about the baby that was growing in there. "Sure, what names did you pick?" asked Toshinori before he reached out and rubbed her belly. Though his entire palm had covered the bump. Though he knew that it would only be until she was further along.

"Well, for a boy I was thinking of Izuku." Inko said with a smile.

"Izuku…" Toshinori said with a frown on his face before he tilted his head a little. "Yagi Izuku…" Then he smiled all the more before nuzzling against her head and sighed in content. "I like it." He whispered before kissing her gently. Inko giggled a little before pulling herself back and smiled up at Toshinori. He tilted his head a little as he asked "So, what about a name for a girl?"

"Um… Miyoko."

Toshinori froze for a second before he stared at her with wide eyes. He couldn't help but stare at her as he tried to think what it was that she had just said. He wanted to name his future daughter this, and now to hear that his girlfriend also wanted to use the name made him happy as well. Nuzzling himself against her neck, the young man whispered "I wanted to use her name too. I was scared that you wouldn't want to use it." He peeked up at Inko for a brief moment before saying "I would love to use my sister's name should we have a girl…"

Inko giggled a little before kissing Toshinori. He of course, returned the kiss as the two just held onto each other. Honestly, the pair didn't think that their lives could get any better than this.


	24. Nights Conversation

Inko yawned softly as she looked down at Tenko as he sat at the coffee table working on some learning books that she and Toshinori had gotten for him. She couldn't believe that soon he would be their son. It was nice really, though she knew that it would be a while yet that he would open up to them more. He still seemed to fear to call them 'mom' and 'dad' but knew that it was best not to push it.

"So, what are you working on now Tenko?" asked Inko.

"Math." Tenko answered before he leaned back, his head tilting upward so he could look up at Inko. "Inko, may I ask you something?"

"Sure sweetie, what is it?"

"Well, it's just that you're having a baby right? Yours and Toshinori's baby so… would you still want me around?" Tenko asked with a frown on his face.

Inko couldn't help but stare with wide eyes as she blinked at the blue haired child. "What makes you ask that Tenko?" Inko asked, tilting her head a little to the side in confusion.

"Well… would you even want me around the baby? You two won't have time for me so why have me around in the first place?" Tenko asked with a small sniffle. Inko could easily see his eyes starting to fill with tears and knew that this had been bothering him for a while now. And it had only been getting worse and worse the further along she got with the baby. Reaching out, Inko pulled Tenko as best as she could as she laid on her side and kissed his temple.

"Tenko," Inko began with a soft smile as she nuzzled his head. "Toshinori and I may be having a baby, but to us you are already our child. You are loved here and we would do all we can to make sure that you both are loved equally."

"But you haven't asked me to call you mom or Toshinori dad and-"

"Just because we haven't asked, doesn't mean we want don't want to hear it." Inko whispered.

"But… why haven't you?"

"Because we want you to call us that when you are ready. When you're ready and able to call us mom and dad. To accept us as your parents, that is a choice that we are giving you Tenko. No matter what happens, we would still love you either way." Inko said gently, a soft smile on her face as she stared at the little boy before her.

Tenko just stared with wide eyes. It seemed that his words had hit him, as Inko saw tears starting to build up within his red eyes before spilling over and down his cheeks. Inko pulled him closer to her as he sobbed. Inko couldn't help but rub his back hoping that it would sooth him. It seemed that this had bothered him for quite some time, yet didn't want to ask them about it thinking that they would be mad.

At least, that was what Inko assumed.

Tenko sniffled a little before pulling himself back and wiped at his eyes. Inko noticed that he still refused to uncurl his pinkie most of the time. She knew that Toshinori had something in mind that would help Tenko with his quirk though it was hard to say as to what that would be. Shaking her head, the young woman pushed herself up from the couch, struggling as she did so. It was harder and harder to get up on her own some days though it was nice to see that Toshinori would help her up even if she didn't ask him too.

Looking over, she saw that Tenko was trying to keep his mind busy again, maybe he was allowing her words to sink in.

Smiling, Inko ruffled his hair, earning a little 'hey!' from him before she pushed herself up and went to make some lunch. She knew that Toshinori was going to be home early today, unless something came up. Though, she couldn't help but wonder what that would be. There were so many things though she knew that she couldn't stop him from helping those in need. He was a hero, he had a good heart and would do anything he could in order to protect people.

It was one of the reasons why she loved him.

Crossing her arms in deep thought, Inko couldn't help but wonder how Mitsuki was. The other day, she had called her friend and found out that she had gone to the hospital and gave birth.

She had a son, and named him Katsuki. It was rather cute, though Inko hoped that their children would be good friends. At least, she hoped that would be the case. "Tenko, what would you like for lunch?" asked Inko.

"Um… Udon?" asked the little boy.

"Hm… sounds good to me." Inko said with a smile before making her way over to the kitchen and got to work. It was nice that she could give herself some time off from the café, though it was also getting harder and harder with how crazy everything had been. It had been months since Hisashi had tried anything and yet, so far life seemed rather peaceful. But there was a feeling deep within her heart that was telling her that she couldn't believe those words yet. That she was 'safe' as of yet.

He was out there, and he would do anything within his power to get her back. That much she knew, and that was why she had given herself some time off. Though at the same time was working from home knowing this way, she would be able to keep herself safe but also still be able to pay the bills and give everyone their shifts and such.

It was hard yes, though she knew that this was the only way that she could live her life until Hisashi was captured and put in jail. The scars on her body would prove to the law that he had abused her, though if only she could show more to prove that he had abused her for years.

Soon, Inko heard the door bell ringing, causing her to frown a little as she tilted her head. She wasn't expecting any visitors, and Toshinori hadn't mentioned anyone coming over today either. Frowning a little, the young woman made her way over to the door, not sure who it was but at the same time she could fear reaching up and grasping her heart. If there was one thing that she knew, it was that she had to be careful.

Even though this place was secure, there was still a chance that someone would break in, and that someone could be Hisashi.

"Inko?" called Tenko, causing her to stare at the little boy who frowned at her. He didn't know of the danger that she was in, and she wanted to keep it that way for as long as possible.

"Yes?"

"Are you okay? You look kind of pale…" Tenko asked with a frown on his face.

"I'm fine sweetie, just wait in the living room okay?" Inko said with a smile on her face. Tenko looked like he wanted to say otherwise, though it seemed that he just couldn't really understand why. Was he able to sense that she was scared? That there was something that she was scared off but just couldn't tell him about it because he wouldn't or couldn't understand because he was too young?

"Okay…" He mumbled before sitting back where he once was.

It had seemed as if he wanted to argue with her on this, though at the same time he knew that he couldn't win against her. She wanted to assure him that everything was going to be okay, that she was going to be fine.

Yet she was a terrible liar.

Taking a deep breath, Inko made her way to the front door, peeking through the eye hole only to frown. All she could make out was blonde locks over shoulders. Had Toshinori forgotten his key? Why didn't he text her? Odd.

"Toshinori did you somehow forget your key? Why didn't you text… me…?" Inko said as she opened the door only to blink at she looked up at the person who was definitely _not_ her boyfriend, or even a man in the first place.

Standing in front of her was a tall woman with long blonde hair pulled back in a ponytail, though had two long locks of hair that framed her face. Electric blue eyes much like Toshinori's though hers was seemed softer than his at the same time. She wore a simple red shirt and a pair of blue jeans with black heals. She just smiled happily, though Inko could also still make out some wrinkles around her eyes though not as many.

This woman made Inko think this is what Toshinori would look like if he was born a woman and didn't work out.

"Um… may I help you?" asked Inko.

"Oh you must be Inko! I've heard so much about you!" The woman said with a bright and cheerful smile. It was almost blinding and reminded her of Toshinori's smile.

"Um…"

"Oh I'm sorry! I've never introduced myself! I'm Nicole King! I'm surprised that Toshinori never said anything about me." Nicole said with a smile on her face.

Nicole? Oh wait! "Oh, he's mentioned you before. You're his aunt right? You raised him didn't you?" Inko said with a tilt of her head.

It seemed that only made Nicole's smile sadden a little. Did she say something wrong? "I raised him though sadly I didn't think I did properly."

"Please come in, um… Toshi isn't home though."

"No worries, I didn't really tell him when I'd come. I thought I'd surprise that idiot." Nicole said with a smile on her face, causing Inko to frown and tilt her head a little. "So, if I may ask how far along are you now?" asked Nicole with a small smile on her face.

"I'm about five months now." Inko said softly, feeling a little nervous around Toshinori's aunt. How was it that his aunt was so excitable and yet could still be so comfortable to be around in the first place? It was as if Toshinori had gotten all of his excitable energy from his aunt so what did that leave Miyoko? "I'm not really sure as to what I'm having, though from what we did find out is that Toshi and I are just having one." Inko said as she rubbed her stomach.

"Interesting, I almost thought he'd end up with twins as well. Maybe it finally decided to skip a generation." Nicole said with a smile before she just gave the green haired woman a smile. "Unless it's waiting for the next time you two decide to have a baby."

Inko blushed at that.

"Don't worry my dear, I think from what Toshinori has told me you'll have your hands full with just the two boys there." Nicole said with a bright smile on her face.

Inko nodded her head before turning her gaze to Tenko who was still working on his work. It seemed that he had relaxed, had he sensed that she herself had relaxed or was it something else? "They know when their parent is nervous or frightened. Oh, I smell something amazing. Would you like some help in the kitchen?"

"You don't have to do that, you're our guest." Inko said with a frown.

"I want to help, I've done the same thing for my sister when she was pregnant with Toshinori and Miyoko." Nicole said with a sad smile on her face.

Inko nodded her head before making her way to the kitchen with Nicole. Nicole of course had helped out with cooking the udon, though she couldn't help but wonder what was going on in the older woman's head. "Um… if I may ask what were his parents like?" asked Inko.

Nicole sighed softly as she leaned back a little, her eyes a little hazy as if lost in memory.

"Where to even begin." Nicole whispered softly. "My sister, Serena, was a very excitable woman. Even as a child, she would chase away at dreams that no one could ever understand. She was a dreamer that much was true." Nicole whispered softly. Closing her eyes, as if lost in her memories of her departed sister. "Serena would always draw things that she had seen in her mind, always seeming to see things that no one else could ever really understand."

"Was it a quirk?" asked Inko.

"No, she was just good at reading people. Though there were times where she would see things in her mind that would just seem to happen but sadly it wasn't proven if it was a quirk or not." Nicole said with a shake of her head before looking down at Inko and gave her a soft yet sad smile. Sighing, Nicole wrapped her thumb and index finger around a lock of her bangs and twirled it around. "Serena was a dreamer, it was something that Toshinori and Miyoko had inherited from her."

"Really?" Inko asked with a frown.

"Yes, while Toshinori had a dream of becoming a hero, even though he was quirkless at first, and his sister, Miyoko was an artist of her own right. It seemed that she had also developed her mother's taste and love of painting and drawing."

Inko frowned a little, she knew that Toshinori's parents met at a gala, but it still amazed her that really how his parents met was so amazing while how she met Toshinori was just by pure chance.

Nicole sighed softly as she helped with the udon. It seemed that cooking was one way to help her go through her thoughts. "Now, as for Serena, she had said that she wanted to go to Japan to work on her art styles and I had of course, helped her learn Japanese." Oh, so that was how Toshinori's mother learned to speak Japanese, it was from Nicole. "I had wanted to be a language teacher, so I learned different languages and Serena was my first student. Though she still struggled a little at first and still did even after she went to Japan but was able to get by."

"Then what?" asked Inko.

"Well, she told me bits and pieces of her night at the gala where she met her husband." Inko stared with wide eyes. Nicole of course just laughed a little. "Well, their first meeting was anything but graceful."

Inko just tilted her head a little at that, how could it have gone in the first place? It was a gala, it wasn't like she had said something completely out of line or… did she? Nicole turned to stare at Inko and saw her confused expression, only to smile at the green haired woman herself. "Serena well, she bumped into Takeshi and ended up spilling her champagne on him. She was embarrassed about it to the point that she was speaking to him back in English. He of course didn't understand what she was saying and she realised that she wasn't speaking Japanese anymore and well, tried again."

"What happened next?"

"Well, he told her that it was alright. That accidents happen and he had no reason to be mad at a lovely woman." Inko blinked. "When he realised he had said that he turned into a blundering mess which only made my sister laugh."

Inko just blinked in shock at that. How was it that Toshinori took after his father when it came to that? Or maybe he had ended up making his hero persona like his father and not realise it? "After that night, Takeshi wanted to get to know Serena all the more. They had started out at friends, had dinners, spent time together. Just did anything normal friends would do."

Nicole let out a soft sigh as she had a soft smile on her face. Inko couldn't help but wonder what more to the story there was, though she hoped that it still had a happy ending before… that they still had a full and happy life before it had ended so harshly.

"They had gone to a nice dinner, Takeshi had called me since I was the only one that could understand Japanese, if he could ask for Serena's hand in marriage. I of course, wanted my sister to be happy so I had told him that I was already happy for the two. I told my parents, they at first were against it thinking Serena wouldn't be happy with him. Though, they came around when they saw how happy she was. Serena told me that it was just a simple nice dinner, they laughed, enjoyed each other's company and of course had a dance."

That made Inko think about the dinner that she had with Toshinori, though not as much laughing but more worry than anything else. After all, she was worried about so many things at that point of time and she didn't think that her life could have gotten better at that point of time, now though, she was so happy. He had gone so far out of his way to make sure that she was happy, even though he himself would have his own doubts. Even to the point that he was even giving her a chance to leave him because he feared that his fate, his destiny as the hero that wields 'One For All' would have to fight a villain by 'All For One', that she wouldn't want to be with him because of the fear and constant worry.

She had to reassure _him_ for a change, to tell him that she wouldn't leave him because she loved him and only him.

"Serena told me that during the dance, a song played. It was one that she knew and of course Takeshi had taken some English lessons so he could understand her better should the need arise where she slips up and speaks English. She had told me, that while they danced to the song that he was the only man for her." Inko looked up and stared with wide eyes. "Serena has had a few boyfriends, and she's had some kind of connection to them but not as powerful as the one she had with Takeshi. He was her only love and the only one that she could ever love."

Nicole chuckled a little at the memory only to frown. "I had thought, at the time that she was being silly, that she couldn't have believed in such things but seeing how much they loved each other from the moment they met, to the moment they got married and had their children." Nicole let out a deep shaky breath as she tried to calm herself down before turning to Inko and gave her a small smile. "The love they shared was something that I had never thought I'd ever see again. At least, until Toshinori messaged me the other night and told me about you."

"Huh?"

Nicole chuckled a little and stared at Inko with a soft gaze. Her eyes though still almost lost in memory though she went on. "Toshinori, the way he spoke of you was how his father would speak about my sister, and how my sister would speak about Takeshi. It was as if I just saw a love and romance growing again, being reborn so to speak and yet, it made me happy."

Inko could only blink in confusion.

"Toshinori never showed any interest in women, men or whatever. He only had his focus on being a hero and nothing more. Well, other than trying to protect his sister and tried to get her to leave her boyfriend. When she died and he lost his memories of her, I feared that he would just be… an empty hallow shell. Never knowing love or the memory of his sister." Nicole whispered gently before placing a hand on Inko's shoulder as she said "So, thank you for saving my nephew's heart, a heart that I believed to have died with Miyoko."

"What makes you think that… he couldn't love?" Inko asked softly.

"Well, even though he couldn't remember his sister, he knew that he felt like he didn't deserve love. A part of him didn't want to find love in the fear or losing it. He's already lost his parents and his sister even though he couldn't remember her. The thought remained in him, telling him that it was best that he didn't find love and that he should just follow his dreams." Nicole said gently before shaking her head as she looked at Inko. "The way he spoke of you, a smile on his face. His eyes so full of life and joy, it reminded me of Serena when she spoke of Takeshi. I knew then, that you were meant to be with Toshi, that you saved his heart and brought it back along with the memories of his sister and for that I greatly thank you. I don't think I could ever really thank you enough."

Inko noticed that Nicole had tears streaming down her face. Though she couldn't tell if they were tears of joy, or sadness. Maybe a mixture of both. "I had thought that Toshinori was lost to having any kind of love, that no matter what happened, he would never be able to allow himself to love or accept love as that. Then you come along and… you spark something in him. Something that even he didn't know had been dead, you brought him back Inko."

Inko could only stare in shock, she didn't think that she had saved Toshinori from anything. Only that he had saved her from her abuse. He's gone out of his way and she had thought that she hadn't done anything for him other than help him remember his sister when the memories had started to become far too much for him. Yet, here was his aunt, telling her that she had indeed saved him from a life of loneliness. Saved his heart that had thought to have been dead and void of love only to be brought back and filled once again.

It was something that she didn't think would have been possible and yet here she was. Hearing such words from a woman that she's only just met.

"You're welcome." Inko said softly.

"Just, promise me that you won't tell him what I told you Inko? I don't mind you telling him about the story of his parents, he knows that. But… just… please don't tell him the rest." Inko couldn't help but nod, she could understand that these were the blonde woman's feelings that she hadn't wanted to share with anyone but the woman who had saved her nephew that was something that Inko knew that she would keep with her forever.

"I promise." Though Inko knew about one other thing. Toshinori was still hurting even though he did try to pass it off as nothing. It was hard, that much she knew for a fact though she just hoped that one day he would overcome his pain and suffering over his sister's death. It was something that Inko knew for a fact that the rest of his healing was to be done by himself and himself alone.

Though that would be a path that would have its burdens.

"Um, Nicole, I should mention that… Toshinori hasn't fully gotten over Miyoko's death, it seems that he can't seem to find proper closure." Inko whispered softly.

"Yes, I can understand that. A twins bond is a powerful thing, and hard to break. For Toshinori, to lose his twin in such a way is hard, and he can't find closure. It'll be a difficult path for him though I'm sure he'll overcome it. How that is, no one can say for sure. It's something that I'm sure you know he'll have to discover on his own." Nicole said with a sigh.

"I hope so."

"As do I, as do I. But, knowing him it may be when he finds the person who in a sense was responsible for her death. That is something that will bother him for some time."" Nicole said with a sigh before adding "But, promise me one other thing. If, and when he finds the man that forced Miyoko's hand to end her life, don't let him lose himself to revenge. Because I fear that should he go too far, we all may lose him forever."

Inko nodded her head to that. "I promise."

"I'm home!" Came Toshinori's voice as he walked into the apartment. "Inko, I'm back! I was hoping to get further along in the case but so far still hitting dead ends and- oh Aunt Nicole, what brings you by? Didn't know you'd be visiting already." Toshinori said before making his way into the kitchen. He saw Inko and smiled brightly right away, making his way over to her and kissed her cheek.

"Oh, thought I'd come and meet the woman who stole my nephew's heart. I even told her some of your stories from when your mother brought you down as a baby. You were such a cute little baby with your hair sticking up everywhere and have I ever mentioned the time when he ran around naked-"

"GAH! AUNT NICOLE STOP PLEASE!" Toshinori screamed, causing Inko to laugh. If there was one thing that she learned, it was that Nicole could cover up any kind of story or feelings, and it seemed that it was always at Toshinori's expense.

* * *

 **letting you all know, that I'm currently working on chapter 26, the climax is coming and everything will come full circle! ALL SHALL BE REVEALED maybe by chapter 27 or so, before EPICNESS ALL AROUND! or so I hope so, anyway hope you all like what I've written thus far! love you all!**


	25. Movement

Inko yawned softly as she rolled over in bed. Laying on her side trying to get as much sleep as she could. She still couldn't believe that she was six months along, though she still didn't want to know what it was that she was having. Even though Toshinori had bugged her so much that he wanted to learn the gender of the baby. Of course, she had just told him again and again over and over again, that she didn't want to learn what the baby was.

Rubbing her eyes, Inko was about to check the time only to smile a little when she felt Toshinori's arm wrap around her midsection. "Toshi, come on I'll have to get up at some point."

"No get up, stay in bed." Toshinori mumbled.

"Come on, I bet Tenko will be hungry." Inko said with a smile on her face.

Though her answer from the blonde was him scooting closer to Inko and burying his face against the back of her neck. "Let's just stay in bed…" He whispered softly before kissing the back of her neck.

"Is this revenge for your aunt telling me some of your stories from when you were a kid?" asked Inko.

"Hm… no, that was last month. Plus, this is just me wanting to hold you for a bit." Toshinori whispered softly against the back of her neck. Inko couldn't help but shudder against his breath. "Though, I'd love to just stay in bed a little longer." Inko was about to say something until something happened.

The baby kicked against Toshinori's hand.

He pushed himself up onto his elbow as he looked down at Inko's stomach and just seemed to blink in confusion. Inko had turned her head as she gazed up at Toshinori, hoping to see his expression. She could make out shock, confusion, joy, happiness, wonder and so much more. His confused expression turned into one of joy before he jumped over the bed, Inko had no idea how he managed to do so though just blinked at him for the time being. Soon, she felt his hands on her stomach as she saw him smile and lean close to her stomach.

"Hello baby, I'm your daddy! I bet you're excited to come out but you need to stay in there with mommy!" Toshinori said with a smile on his face.

Inko laughed at how silly Toshinori was being. He reached over and gently held onto Inko's hand as he smiled up at her. "Thank you Inko, you've given me a wonderful thing. You, Tenko and the baby mean more to me than anything."

Inko smiled gently before reaching over and ran her fingers through his blonde locks. She couldn't help but stare at him with loving eyes before nuzzling against him the best she could. "I'm happy you think so, though I think you should also give Tenko his gift now. Since our baby is moving, I figured our son would love to feel his baby brother or sister moving around." Inko said gently before gently cupping his cheek against her hand. "Now, I'm getting hungry and I'm in the mood for your pancakes."

"Coming right up!" declared Toshinori before he ran out of the bedroom.

Inko just laughed happily. He forgot to grab the box, she didn't really know herself what it was. Toshinori had refused to tell her what it was though. He figured that it was best that the both of them were surprised. Inko giggled a little before pushing herself up and made her way over to Toshinori's side of the bed and opened his end table and pulled the drawer open before grabbing the gift box. Smiling all the more, the young woman waddled out of the bedroom and hummed a soft tune under her breath.

"Inko?" came a voice, causing the green haired woman to look down and smile down at Tenko. It seemed that Toshinori's running had woken the poor boy. Well, he was rather loud, that much Inko knew herself from being with him for a year… wow, a year. Or was it a little longer than that now? She wasn't sure, though knew that she still wouldn't change it for anything in the world.

"Yes Tenko?" asked the green haired woman.

"Why is Toshinori being a crazy weirdo?"

"Oh, he's excited, he felt the baby kick him." Inko said with a giggle.

Tenko's eyes widened for a moment before he looked down at the floor. Inko gave him a gentle smile before holding out the gift box. "Here you go sweetie, Toshinori went through a lot of trouble to get it for you, and he said it'll help you with your quirk." Inko said gently.

"What is it?" asked Tenko as he carefully reached out for the box, only to pull his hands back.

"I don't know sweetie. Toshinori wouldn't even tell me since I'm bad at keeping surprises." Inko said with a giggle before giving the small boy a sweet smile. "Do you want me to open it for you?"

"Please?"

"Okay."

Inko carefully removed the paper wrapper and opened the box only blink as she stared at a pair of gloves. The gloves were sleek, black yet seemed very thin. Almost like a singular layer of skin really, though Inko couldn't really be sure. Taking another look at the gloves, she saw that they would only cover his pinkie and thumb, though at the same time would wrap around the back of his hand, but also a little bit of his palm. Inko smiled a little bit at the idea. "Toshinori really seemed to have went all out on this."

Tenko stared with wide eyes as he stared at the gloves and blinked innocently as he looked between the box and Inko. "He got you some very special gloves."

Carefully, Inko pulled Tenko's hand and carefully placed a glove over his hand. It easily strapped onto his hand without any issues. He just stared with wide eyes before he looked up at Inko with sparkling eyes. Honestly, this was the first time she's ever seen his eyes like this, and she had to admit that it was nice.

"Want the other one now?" Inko asked before seeing him nod eagerly. She couldn't help but giggle before helping him with the other glove and he just grinned all the more. Inko just couldn't help herself as she smiled and leaned back a little bit and watched as he flexed his hands, curling his fingers and tightening his fingers to make a fist.

He seemed as if he couldn't believe that he could finally make a fist and not have to worry about a thing. He looked up and frowned a little in concern. Inko smiled gently at him as she said "Try them out sweetie." Watching as the boy nodded his head he reached over and carefully touched the wall before quickly pulling his hand away. There was no damage, not even a little bit.

Tenko stared with wide eyes before he reached over and touched the wall again. He couldn't help but grin as he giggled happily. Inko smiled a little more before she rubbed her lower back. "Are you okay?" He asked suddenly, causing the green haired woman to turn and stare at the sky blue haired boy who stared at her with concern. "Are you hurting?"

"I'm fine Tenko, this is normal for women who are expecting a baby." Inko said gently.

"Oh."

Giving him a gentle smile, Inko calmly said "Follow me Tenko, since Toshi gave you a surprise, I should give you one now." Tenko tilted his head a little to the side before he followed the green haired woman to the living room. Inko could faintly hear Toshinori humming in the kitchen and it made her smile a little.

Inko carefully sat down on the couch and she looked at Tenko and saw him just staring at her in confusion. "Sit with me Tenko and I'll show you your surprise." Inko said with a smile. Tenko did as was asked of him, carefully making his way to sit on the couch with Inko before looking at her with a tilt of his head. Reaching out, Inko gently grabbed the child's hand and carefully placed it on her belly.

He was about to pull away until the baby kicked against him. Inko smiled more as she saw Tenko's red eyes light up with awe. "The baby knows that their big brother is near."

"Big brother?" Tenko asked in confusion, though his gaze not leaving where his hand resided.

"Yup. The baby knew when Toshinori was nearby, and the baby also seems to know when their big brother is near. I bet, the baby already loves you." Inko said with a gentle smile on her face. Using her free hand, she carefully placed it on his head as she gently rubbed it. "You know what a big brother's job is?"

"What?" asked Tenko.

"Their job, is to always protect their little brother or sister. To make sure that they are safe from anything that would want to hurt them." Inko said gently.

"But my quirk…"

"It can easily be used for good Tenko. It doesn't just have to be used for evil. You can use it to help people." Inko said gently, her green eyes shining with unshed tears before leaning over and placing a kiss on the child's forehead. He just looked up with unshed tears in his own eyes. It seemed that the words had reached him in some way though, he was still unused to love from someone. Didn't his parents ever love him or was it because he had been on his own for a while that he was scared to love anyone in fear of losing them much like how Toshinori lost his parents and his own sister.

Inko just smiled down at Tenko as she watched him moving his hand to feel as the baby started to move. Really, how was it that he could find the baby's movements so easily? She knew his quirk was something that could destroy things though, she knew that it didn't involve sensing movement or vibrations. Tilting her head a little, Inko asked "So you like feeling him move?"

"Yeah, it's neat." Tenko said with a smile on his face. "It's just hard to believe that a baby is in here! How does it get in there?" Inko blushed darkly at that. There was no way that he was old enough to hear the conversation of 'where do babies come from'. Shaking her head, the young woman tried to think of something, anything really though it just seemed that no matter what she just couldn't think of anything to say. "What? Did I ask something wrong?" asked Tenko.

"It's just that, well that is a conversation reserved for when you're older. Maybe high school if possible." Inko gave a nervous laugh.

Tenko looked like he wanted to argue a little more on it. Wanting to learn more about the topic though just couldn't bring himself to ask. It seemed that he knew on some level that Inko wasn't going to share anything about that topic with him yet.

"So, how does the baby come out?" asked Tenko.

Inko blushed all the more from that topic, though how was she going to tell him this? Shaking her head, the young woman calmly said "Well, um… we go to the hospital, and the doctor helps get the baby out. It doesn't hurt the mommy much, though it helps the mom and the baby to be safe afterwards when the baby is ready to come out."

"When is it ready then?"

"Nine months, I'm only six months so another three hopefully then the baby will be ready to come on out." Inko said with a smile on her face. God, she hoped that would be enough to get him to stop asking about where babies come from or how they came out. God, she knew that this was something that a lot of children talk about or ask but it was still rather nerve wrecking at the same time.

"Breakfast is ready!" Toshinori announced with a chuckle.

Inko could only smile, at least breakfast can go without a hitch.

Their day had gone very well. Though if Inko was honest with herself, she would rather be outside though she just had this sinking feeling in her stomach that was telling her that it was safer for her to stay inside. Whatever it was, she wasn't sure and had just assumed that it was just her nerves or the baby squirming around in there but maybe she could try to start going out for walks a little more.

Yeah, some nice days where she was walking with Toshinori and Tenko. That would be nice, though she couldn't help but wonder what she could do.

Looking down, she saw that Tenko was laying his head on her lap, his hand resting on her stomach as if he was trying to feel the baby as he slept. Inko couldn't help but smile gently at him as she ran her fingers through his hair. "He's a good kid." Toshinori whispered softly. Inko looked up and saw that Toshinori had joined her after he cleaned up the kitchen.

After dinner, they had decided to watch some movies that were on TV and Tenko had ended up falling asleep.

"He is. Though, it's kind of sad that he still hasn't called us mom or dad yet." Inko said with a soft sigh before leaning against Toshinori's shoulder.

Feeling his arm wrap around her shoulders, she couldn't help but nuzzle against his side as she let out a sigh. "I know, it pains me as well. But, he still needs time after all. Maybe when he has gotten a little more comfortable around us he'll come to terms to us being his parents." Inko nodded her head to that, they had both agreed that they would allow Tenko the choice on whether to call them 'mom' and 'dad' on his own terms. Trying to force such a thing would only make their progress regress and he would end up hating them.

Turning her gaze back down to the little boy, Inko couldn't help but smile a little at him. "He already loves the baby, so maybe he'll learn to love us like his parents as well." Inko said with a soft smile on her face.

"He may just need some closure."

"I think we all need closure." Inko said as she looked up at Toshinori.

It seemed that he knew what she was talking about, as he let out a soft sigh. "Inko-"

"No Toshinori, I know what you are going to say. That you have moved on from her death, that you have come to terms that Miyoko is gone but I know you haven't. I know you are still looking for him as well as Hisashi. You can't do both, I'm not going to let you choose but… I don't want you to work yourself to death like this." Inko said with a frown and concern on her face. "I want to help you but you won't let me."

"Because it isn't your problem Inko." Toshinori tried to argue back.

"I know but… allow me to help lessen the burden at least. I don't have to be in on the case, but I can at least help you relax. Your mind is going everywhere and you aren't allowing yourself proper rest." Inko said with a frown on her face as she stared up at the blonde haired man. He just stared at her, as if wanting to argue with her but, maybe on some line he knew that she was right.

Toshinori sighed softly, pressing his forehead against hers as he whispered "How is it that you are always right?" He looked at her for a moment before closing his eyes, just allowing himself to feel some form of content as he basked in Inko's natural scent and warmth. "I know that your case is important, you are still alive, he is still out there and after you but…"

"But she was your sister and you want to find the one that was responsible for her choice and threaten your life." Inko whispered.

"Yes." Toshinori let out a breathy answer as he opened and stared down into Inko's green eyes. She knew that this was already taking a lot of his energy, more than she had ever known to be possible of the energetic man. "I just want justice is all, something that Yoko never had, something that she could never have now unless I can find him, find him and make him pay for what he's done."

"Toshi… what do you think justice is for your sister?" Inko asked softly.

"I want him to feel the pain and fear that she felt, I want him to pay, I want him to suffer for everything that he had placed her through and I'll do whatever it-"

Inko placed a finger against his lips, silencing him. He just looked down at her finger then back up into her eyes. "Toshi… you're letting anger blind you here." He looked like he wanted to protest until he saw his beloved girlfriend shake her head. "Think about it, you've never wanted anyone else to feel pain before this right?" Feeling him nod, Inko went on. "Ask yourself this Toshi, would Miyoko want this? What if it was me?" He flinched at the thought. "What if, what if I had ended it all? Would you have tried to get revenge for me as well? Even knowing that it would have only saddened me? Ask yourself this Toshinori, would either myself, or Miyoko want you to act this way?"

Toshinori looked like he wanted to object, that his reasons were justified but, at the same time it seemed that he relented. Knowing that Inko's words were the truth. That this was something that he was taking too far. Yet, his heart wanted his own justice to be done, Inko could see the conflicting emotions flashing through his blue eyes. Eyes that would spark with warmth and electricity had dulled a little bit in defeat.

"Just ask yourself this Toshi should the time ever come. 'Is this something that Inko or Miyoko would want?' That is all you'd have to do. Just ask yourself if this is something that you'd ever want."

Toshinori sighed softly as he wrapped his arms around Inko, pulling her closer though being careful not to disturb Tenko who was still asleep on Inko's lap. "I'm sorry… I can't make promises that I won't try for revenge, but… I will remember, and try to keep your words at heart's value. I know that you are only looking out for me Inko."

"Because I love you, and our baby loves you." Inko said with a soft smile, placing her hand against his cheek causing him to sigh softly and lean into her touch.

"Yes, and I love you as well." Toshinori whispered gently as he looked down at Tenko and smiled gently at the boy. "Let me to tuck him in bed and I'll come back." With that, Toshinori carefully lifted Tenko, the little boy groaning and moaning in his sleep though didn't wake up.

Inko could only smile as watched Toshinori carry Tenko off to his room, she wondered if at some point he'd do that for their baby. Though, if their son ever ended up like Toshinori then she knew that would be a little unlikely but at the same time possible.

She couldn't help but smile down at her belly as she thought about what the baby would look like. She hoped that the baby would have Toshinori's fluffy hair, making her think that if he did then anyone who loved fluffy things would love her child. Hm… she also hoped that the baby had Toshinori's eyes, yeah eyes that would always reflect their emotions.

Inko could only smile a little more before she soon saw Toshinori in her line of vision and he chuckled a little. "You seemed rather distracted so I thought I'd… pop right on in." He chuckled a little as he looked up at Inko only to turn his head to stare at her stomach. "Hello baby, I hope you're still being nice to mommy."

Inko laughed happily before she started to run her fingers through Toshinori's hair. "Still so soft." Inko whispered softly. Toshinori let out a content sigh as he relaxed on Inko's lap. This was something that she could enjoy, though she knew that the first time that she did this was as a means to comfort her when Hisashi came into her store, but it was a feeling that she still enjoyed very much.

She still wanted their baby to have fluffy hair like Toshinori.

* * *

 **quick note, yes I know Toshi is a little out of character with the whole revenge thing, but this is for his growth as a character and he's only gonna be like this for this chapter and a bit of 27/28 and that's it, it'll be a way for him to learn that revenge isn't the way regardless of the reason**


	26. Inko Kidnapped!

Toshinori smiled down at Inko, he didn't know how he could be so lucky. Honestly, he wanted to ask her this question but it was just nerve wrecking confessing to her as it was. Blushing at the idea, he took a deep breath before he set down a little black velvet box on her nightstand with a little note on it for her. He knew that she may have expected a little more grand, but honestly? He didn't have anything in mind.

All he knew was writing down his words, what he felt for her well, he hoped that would be enough for the green haired woman who captured his heart.

"Have a good morning Inko." Toshinori whispered before kissing her forehead.

Inko just let out a sigh in her sleep before rolling over and curled up in a little ball. Toshinori couldn't help but chuckle a bit. He found her adorable, even as she slept, it was why when he was notified about a lead, and he couldn't help but jump at the chance to capture the man. He knew that this could be the only chance that he had in order to find and stop Hisashi that would be the last thing that he could do for Inko at least that involved Hisashi.

Otherwise, he just had to deal with Miyoko's ex.

Taking a deep breath, the young man carefully made his way out of the bedroom as he gathered everything that he would need for the day. Tenko wouldn't have any tutors for today so that much was a given. Though he couldn't help but have a bad feeling in his stomach. He wasn't sure what it was, but he knew that there was something wrong, that something terrible would happen. To who though, he didn't know, but he knew that there would still be something wrong.

He couldn't shake off this feeling, though he knew that he had to take some kind of precaution. Maybe he was just over thinking things, maybe everything would be fine and he didn't have to worry about anything after all. After all, Inko was seven months along now, there wasn't anything else wrong though, and he just couldn't shake it.

Shaking his head, Toshinori grabbed a pen and paper and wrote down some contacts. He knew that he was being silly, maybe stupid even for even thinking such a thing but he couldn't shake it.

He didn't think he much to worry, he had pretty much had Tenko memorize his phone number, along with Shouta's and Hizashi's until he could declare the boy old and responsible enough to even have a cell phone. _'Maybe I am being a little foolish, what could happen? If Hisashi was after Inko like he said he would have tried long ago right?'_ Toshinori couldn't help but frown at the thought. God, was it really that long ago now? He had no idea how long ago it was now that he thought about it. Maybe Hisashi had given up on trying to get Inko, and was trying to find someone else to steal?

Shaking his head, the young man knew that he had to stop the man at all costs. Though he also knew that he had to take Inko's words to heart as well. Even though Hisashi had caused harm to Inko, he couldn't bring about pain that would cause Inko harm emotionally. _'She is a pure soul…'_ Toshinori thought to himself as he placed a hand over his heart _. 'I can't allow my own anger to blind my actions. I'll capture him and bring him to the police. That is all I can do for her and of course allow the court to deal with him properly.'_ Toshinori thought to himself.

Yet, he wondered if he could ever really control himself. He knew he normally had a good grip over his own emotions. Yet, lately he's had a tougher and tougher as time went on. Though, he just couldn't help but be curious as to what he could do about it. From what he had figured, it seemed that his built up emotions, and they seemed to grow stronger as they seemed to fuse with his anger and desire to protect Inko, and avenge Miyoko.

He knew that he shouldn't think this, that doing so would make him no better than a villain.

Yet, deeply in his heart, he felt like he would get great satisfaction in the thought of having some kind of revenge on the man that had killed his sister, and the man that had hunted and tried to kill Inko.

Tightly shutting his eyes, he took a deep calming breath in the hope that it would remove those thoughts from his mind. That was not the kind of hero that he wanted to be, he wanted to be a pillar of support. A symbol of peace that people can depend on. If he was driven by rage and revenge, then he would be the very thing that he would hate.

What would he tell his kids if they ever heard him being surrounded by stories of him having that much hate in his heart toward someone?

Shaking his head, Toshinori took a deep breath as he pulled out his phone and called Shouta as he started to make the journey out of his apartment as he let out a soft sigh.

 _"Toshinori?"_

"Shouta, where are we meeting?" asked Toshinori.

 _"Across town, you can pin point my location by your phone correct?"_

"Alright, I just hope this lead doesn't turn cold."

 _"Does Inko know?"_

Toshinori let out a groan as he looked up at the sky. "No, I haven't and I don't plan on it. Inko has enough on her mind as it is. The baby is due in two months, Inko and I already have our plates full along with trying to finish up the fostering of Tenko so we can adopt him." He explained as he started to walk down the stairs to make his way to the elevator.

 _"Are you going to tell her afterwards?"_

"After we've captured him? Of course. It'll put her mind at ease. I just hope that this is the place that we've been searching for. After all, how many other places would he hide?" Toshinori said with a nervous chuckle. Yet, his heart was heavy with worry.

* * *

Inko yawned softly as she rubbed at her eyes. Frowning a little, she was a little confused as to why she wasn't waking up to the feeling of Toshinori's arms around her. "Toshi?" She called as her vision cleared and she saw that he wasn't on his side of the bed. It seemed that he must have had some kind of early shift or something. Sighing, Inko pushed herself out from bed and stretched. Her back was still a little sore but that was to be expected.

Looking over, she went to slip on her slippers until something caught her eye.

There, on her nightstand was a little black box and a letter. Tilting her head, Inko was rather curious as to what it was that was left for her. Picking up the letter, Inko smiled as she saw Toshinori's writing. It seemed that he had taken some time to write this. She couldn't help but smile at the letter.

 _Inko, you've made my life filled with light, life and so much love. Something that I didn't think would ever be possible in my empty life. You, Tenko and our future child makes every day wonderful and worth living. Every day, I wake up to seeing you, no matter you be awake or asleep. To see you tending to Tenko like a natural born mother and of course trying to make my day lively. You've given me everything I've ever wanted, even things I didn't even know I wanted in the first place. I love you, I love our son Tenko and of course our child more than my own life._

 _If there is a life after this, I wouldn't want it without you, without our kids, it would be meaningless to me. I would only want you and our children in my life, in a thousand years from now, I would only want you in my heart and I hope you feel the same. Open the box and I hope you'll answer the biggest question that I've ever wanted answered in my entire life._

Inko just blinked, his words were heartfelt for sure though it seemed that he's struggled with his words for a while. Even on paper, that much was for sure and she couldn't help but smile at the thought. Turning her gaze to the box, Inko opened the velvet box and blinked in shock.

There, was a gold band with a sunflower design. The petals, were indeed yellow that made Inko think of Toshinori's hair and it made her smile at the thought. While the center, was green much like her own hair and eyes and she blushed before looking at the inside of the box. There, written in Toshinori's scripture were the words 'Will You Marry Me?'

Inko just stared with wide eyes, how was it that he had this all planned out? Sure, she would have liked to have been surprised a little differently, but she had told him that she didn't want him to go so far out of his way with grand surprises.

Giggling a little, Inko slid the ring on her finger before grabbing her cell phone. She knew that Toshinori would be busy so she couldn't call him. But, she could do the next best thing. Holding out her hand, taking a picture of her ringed hand and snapped the picture before sending it to Toshinori and wrote down 'I will marry you Toshi, I love you.' And just smiled as she hit send.

After that, she got up and went to go get breakfast ready for herself and Tenko. Tenko though still seemed to be asleep, so she would let him sleep a little longer. He deserved it, though she couldn't help but wonder what she could do. Though maybe today they two of them could go out and have some time to enjoy themselves for a change. Everything was perfect so far, and maybe she was letting her own fears cloud her judgement so maybe she could just relax for the first time in a while.

Tenko already seemed like a different child. Almost as if he had a complete change of character and knew that he was only like this because he was finally living a life that he deserved. He deserved all the love in the world and it made Inko smile a little at the thought.

"Inko?" came a voice, causing her to turn her gaze away from the stove and smiled as she saw the child of topic.

"Yes Tenko?"

"What are you making? It smells good." Tenko said before making his way over to the table and pulled himself up to sit down.

"Just some bacon and eggs." Inko said with a smile before turning back to the oven. "It seems like Toshinori had left for work today so I guess it's just you and me tonight. Hope you don't mind that." Inko placed some eggs and bacon on a plate before handing it over to Tenko, who happily accepted it and started to eat.

"I don't mind. I like spending time with you and Toshinori. You're both fun and silly." Tenko said with a giggle before he nibbled on some bacon. She couldn't help but smile a little at him, he was a sweet child though she knew that any child would think such things about any adult at his age. Turning back to the stove, Inko made some eggs and bacon for herself before taking a seat with Tenko. "What are we going to do today?" asked Tenko.

"Well, I thought that today is such a nice day why don't we go outside? I bet the park nearby would even have some kids your age for you to play with." Inko said with a smile.

He frowned a little at the idea before shifting a little on his seat. Inko just gave him a soft smile as she said "I'm not going to force you to play with them, but it'd make Toshi and I happy to see you having some friends."

Tenko frowned a little before setting his fork down and let out a soft sigh. It seemed that he was still not keen on having friends, or that he was a bit anti-social with other children his own age. Inko was hoping that it would change when he was older and in school. "I can try I guess." He said softly, so soft that Inko almost hadn't heard him.

Inko could only smile at that, it was still better than nothing but it was still not what she had hoped. But, it was still better than him not trying at the very least.

Breakfast was otherwise uneventful though Tenko had asked Inko why she had on a ring. Inko of course told him the truth, that Toshinori had asked her to marry him. At first he was confused, so she had to explain it that Toshinori wanted her to be his wife.

"But I thought you two were already husband and wife." He had said, which only made Inko blush a little. Of course she had told him that at first they were just dating, that they've only been in a short relationship thus far, and now it seemed that Toshinori was ready to take that next step.

"So you love him? Like a lot?" Tenko asked with a tilt of his head.

"I do, more so than I've loved any other man." Inko said with a soft smile.

"What about me though?" asked Tenko.

"You, I love you like any mother would her child." Inko said gently. "And I know for a fact, that Toshinori feels like any father would for their child. Complete and utter love and adornment." Tenko blinked in shock only to smile.

Once breakfast was done, Inko told Tenko to go get dressed and she took off to change as well. She settled on a green sun dress, and some tight black pants and flats, Inko knew that today was a day that she'd never forget. Once she was ready, she made her way to the door and saw Tenko wearing black shorts and a sky blue t-shirt hoping on the balls of his feet.

"Let's go Tenko." Inko said with a cheerful smile on her face.

"Yeah!" He said with a giggle.

* * *

Inko walked with Tenko to the park with a soft sigh escaping her lips. The boy was so excited that he ran to the playground and of course, she couldn't help but sit down wanting to take as much weight off of her back as she could. Tenko ran around, laughing and giggling as he did so. It seemed that everything was going the way she had hoped it would.

Life couldn't really get any better than this that much she knew.

Yet, she knew that so long as he was out there, searching for her then she couldn't really be sure as to what was going on.

Though she couldn't help but wonder if that was why Toshinori had left so early. Had he found a clue as to where Hisashi was? If that was the case, then she would be more relieved than anything in the whole world. Though she also hoped that he would also take her words to heart. If he went along with it, taken his revenge for Miyoko then she feared that he would go down a dark spiral with no way back out.

The thought of it, had her scared for Toshinori's heart.

He was a strong man that much she knew better than anyone that much she knew. Her hand reaching up to her own heart, Inko knew that even the strongest of hearts, all it would take is one simple push that could set them off and have them on a dark road.

"Hello Inko." Came a voice, causing Inko's blood to freeze. Her heart almost sank at the voice that had haunted her dreams for so long. Haunted her every single thought and now, it was back.

Just as she was about to slowly turn her head, his voice stopped her. "Don't turn to look at me. Just get up, and follow me. Act as if I am nothing more than an old friend, maybe your lover and act the part or else I'll have to hurt that brat over there." No, he would hurt Tenko?! Gulping a little, Inko nodded her head slowly as she slowly pushed herself up. "Hm, it seems that you've betrayed me as well Inko. Oh well, I'll have that taken cared of as well."

"Don't hurt my baby or Tenko… please." Inko pleaded softly.

"Oh, the boy is the least of my concerns. So long as you do as I say, I won't hurt him, though I can't make promises to the thing you created with that blonde idiot of a man." Hisashi said with a dark chuckle.

"Toshi is anything but an idiot. He's a more loving man than you ever were." Inko whispered.

"That's what you think. He's just a fucking idiot Inko, he can't provide you everything I could."

"You mean abuse and threats?" Inko all but growled.

"No, love… I love you, you know that don't you." He touched her cheek, causing her to shudder in disgust. "Now, come along now. You don't want to start a scene with all of these witnesses do you?"

Inko winced, she didn't want to get anyone else involved with her problems, but knew that she had no choice in the matter. Hisashi could easily hit anyone at long range with his quirk, she knew that much. If anyone so much as got too close, he would either hurt them, or hurt her. Hurt her baby, a risk that she was not willing to take. "Fine, but don't hurt them." Inko whispered.

Yet, they didn't seem to get far as Tenko called out to Inko. "Inko! Where are you going?" He ran up to the two adults but stopped a few feet from them the moment he noticed Inko's fear and Hisashi's glare. "Inko? What's going on?" The child asked with concern. It seemed that he was starting to pick up on her fear, as he was starting to be a little scared though she couldn't tell if it was for Inko, or for himself. "Where are you taking her!" Shouted the child, his body trembling.

"Tenko don't-" Before she could say more, Tenko rushed forward, screaming as he went to tackle Hisashi. Though the raven haired man merely lifted his leg and kicked at the boy. Causing the air to leave his lungs before he coughed a little, curled up on the ground as he whined. "Tenko!" Inko cried out.

Just as she was about to rush to her child's side, Hisashi pulled her back and smirked at her. His grin was almost… twisted. Insane really, and it had her fearing for their lives. "This is going to have to be a lesson Inko. A lesson that he'll have to learn when it comes to adult matters." Inko stared with wide eyes as she saw Hisashi place his foot on the child's elbow and grabbed his hand before pulling quickly.

Tenko screamed out in pain. "Ah!" Inko covered her mouth as she tried to keep herself from crying out for Tenko. Tears pooling in her eyes as they slowly rolled down her cheeks. Why wasn't anyone coming to save her? Were they so distracted that they hadn't noticed anything?

The little boy looked at Inko with pain in his red eyes, though she could faintly make out concern and worry, yet it wasn't for himself. It was for her. "What are these gloves for anyway?" Hisashi asked, just shrugged his shoulders.

Yet that was when Tenko striked.

"They're for this!" Shouted the child as he managed to slip his fingers out of the glove, quickly latching his hand onto the man's leg as he shouted "You leave my mom alone!" Hisashi screamed in pain as he felt his skin starting to rot away. Though Hisashi growled as he wanted this boy to suffer, he opened his mouth to breathe fire.

"Tenko stop!" Inko shouted as she grabbed onto Hisashi, giving him a look, tears pooling in her eyes. Tenko just looked up in shock as Inko had told him that he didn't want to stop, that he wanted to do something, anything to save her. "Stop Tenko, please…" It seemed that Inko's plea had caused him to let go, though Hisashi's skin still got some damage causing him to growl a little more.

"He'll live but he needs a good lesson." Smirked Hisashi before he grabbed the little boy and tossed him aside as easily as one would a rag doll.

Tenko hit the tree and seemed to have lost all consciousness. "Tenko!" Inko shouted, though Hisashi just glared at her. Inko gulped a little, she knew that she was in trouble, but wasn't sure what she could do.

"He'll be fine, I'm sure. But for now, let's leave my dear beloved Inko, we'll be happy. Though we still must deal with that little 'mistake' there." He said, pointing to her belly. Inko stared with wide eyes as her hands went to shield her baby. "Now, now, you'll have another one. Just one made from myself instead of that blonde you've been with."

Inko gulped a little, she was scared, scared for her life and her baby's life. She hoped that Tenko will be okay, that everything will still turn out okay. Dear god she hoped that he'll be okay.

* * *

Tenko groaned a little, the pain in his arm was starting to bring him back from the realm of sleep. Blinking slowly, he looked around and saw that he wasn't in the park anymore. More along the lines, he could make out that he was… "A police station?" whispered Tenko as he slowly pushed himself up. Only to cry out in pain as he tried to move his other arm.

"Whoa there kid, don't move. We just got your arm set, we need to get someone to come here to tend to you." Tenko looked over and frowned as he saw a police officer. He didn't know this one though it confused him as to why he wasn't at a hospital. "Someone found you at the park, the best we could do for you until we could get answers was to bring you here. Sorry."

Tenko frowned a little as he tried to think on what had happened. He remembered then, what had happened.

Sitting up quickly, only to yelp out in pain as he held onto his broken arm. "I… I need a phone! Please!"

"We need you to tell us what happened first kid." Said the cop.

"I need a phone NOW! She'll die if I don't tell him!"

The cop frowned a little before holding out his phone. Tenko quickly took the cell into his hand and punched in the one number that was more important to him than any other. He knew that he couldn't risk calling Inko's phone, there was a chance that that guy would take it and get rid of it couldn't be used as the right means. Tenko learned that much from some of his tutoring or even from the shows on TV.

 _"Hello?"_ came Toshinori's voice. It sounded deeper but he knew that voice better than anyone.

"It's Tenko."

 _"Tenko? Where's Inko? I was sure that you were with her at home."_ Toshinori said with concern.

"Some guy came to the park, he took her! He broke my arm!" Tenko said quickly.

 _"Whoa there Tenko, slow down here. Who took Inko? He broke your arm?"_ The way his voice sounded, it seemed as if Toshinori was angry but also worried at the same time. _"Tell me, what did he look like Tenko, right… now…"_

"He had short black hair and black eyes! But his eyes seemed rather crazy and I don't know. But he seemed odd. Almost as if he was crazy or something, I used… I used my quirk. I thought I could save her but I couldn't. Instead, he was about to kill me I think I could see flames coming to his mouth but he was stopped." Tenko said with a deep shaky breath.

 _"Hisashi… that bastard. He took the only chance that he could to get Inko. He knew she wouldn't fight if she was alone and had you with her. Damn it!"_ Toshinori growled on the other line. It caused Tenko to frown a little. Was this what they had been worried about the whole time? That was the one thing that they had been concerned about along with everything else. Tenko knew that he had to do something… but what can he do? _"You said you used your quirk on him?"_

"I… I did."

 _"I'll need to punish you later but, you were doing it to save Inko so I'm not all that mad son."_ Tenko frowned a little. At least he wasn't in total trouble so that had to mean something. _"Tenko, what else happened?"_

"He seemed strange, I don't know. Crazy? Deranged or something, he just gave off this creepy aura and I could hear him calling you an idiot." Tenko managed to say with a frown on his face.

 _"Bastard, Tenko stay where you are. I'll have to find a way to find Inko. Shouta, and Hizashi are with me, but a friend of mine will have to take care of you. Just ask the police for Detective Naomasa."  
_

"Um…"

 _"What is it Tenko?"_

"Don't die please. Just… Just bring her back dad. Bring mom back to us dad, that's all I want! Just bring her back and you come back safe and sound! I already lost my first mom and dad, I don't want to lose you and mom now too!" Tenko all but shouted.

The line was silent for a moment, and for a moment Tenko had thought that Toshinori had hung up on him or that the line had gone dead. Yet, when he heard a soft gasp on Toshinori's end, he figured that he had just surprised the other man. _"Tenko… you called me dad…"_ Toshinori was still in shock before he seemed to come around to his senses. _"Don't worry, I'll bring your mom back safe and sound. I'll be coming back in one piece as well, don't you worry. I'll make sure that we're all alright, just make sure you behave for Naomasa alright?"_

"I will dad." Tenko said with a smile. The first real smile he's had since he woke up. Though his arm still pained him a great deal, this was going to be a long night that much was for sure. "I think… he's also going to try to attack the baby. That man kept saying something about it and mom was scared."

 _"Of course he would, he wants to make sure that your mother has no reminders of me, unless he goes too far."_

Tenko was afraid to know what that meant. Though, he just hoped that everyone would come home safe and sound. That was the only thing that he wanted. Yet, he couldn't help but feel like everything was just going to get worse from here on out. There was so much going on that his mind couldn't comprehend and felt like everything was just going to go out the window. Though, if anyone could bring his mom back, it was his dad.

Though, he still felt like something bad would happen, he just wasn't sure as to what that would be.


	27. The Truth Comes Out

Toshinori always feared that this day would come. It was the one thing that he never knew would happen in the first place yet, at the same time he had a feeling that it would happen. He had feared this day, and wished, with all of his heart that it would never happen.

Inko being kidnapped.

He had felt dread when he had gotten a phone call. A call that he had at first thought that it was nothing but a scam until he remembered that his phone shouldn't even be ringing in the first place. That he had it set to only ring if the emergency number was being called. He knew that someone was calling him, but he wasn't sure who it was as only a selective few would have such information.

When it was Tenko, telling him that Inko had been kidnapped? That had almost set Toshinori off. He could picture so many thoughts going on in his head, yet when Tenko had mentioned that Hisashi had broken the poor kid's arm, which just seemed to piss the hero off. Though, he wouldn't allow anger to blind him. He had to make sure that he kept his head and wits about him.

If he gave into his anger then he could very well end up becoming the very thing that he hate more in the entire world.

Taking a deep breath, the only thing that had seemed to calm him down was when Tenko had… had finally called him dad. The very thing that he had hoped to hear from the boy since he started to live with himself and Inko. Now, that was one thing that he had to look forward too. For the boy to keep calling him dad and Inko mom.

"Toshinori." Came Shouta's voice, causing him to look over and he saw that his friend was concerned. That much was shining in his dark eyes. "What happened?"

"Inko's been kidnapped. I don't think they'll be coming here. I don't even know how long it has been since Tenko's been knocked out. Poor kid, tried to protect her with his quirk and got his arm broken in the process." Toshinori said with a sigh before running a hand through his hair.

"Any idea how to find her?" asked Hizashi with a frown.

"Doesn't she have her phone?" Shouta said suddenly.

Toshinori's eyes widened at that. That was something, he had always told Inko to keep her phone on her at all times and knowing her she would find a way to hide her phone so no one would find it. Not to mention, it would most likely be on low so he could easily track it. Though how were they going to be able to track it from here in the first place?

Wait…

Pulling out his phone once again, Toshinori called Naomasa and hoped and prayed that his friend was at least with Tenko. If anything, the boy needed to be with someone he trusted more than anyone. Though, Tenko had yet to meet the detective, but knew that so long as he himself, told his son to trust him then Tenko would.

 _"Detective Naomasa speaking."_

"Naomasa, my friend it's Toshinori."

 _"Toshinori? I just got your son here what's going on?"_

"Long story short, Inko was kidnapped by Hisashi and now I need a location. Can you find a way to locate Inko's cell phone? It should still be with her. Please, time is of the essence! He may try to kill… to kill…" Toshinori choked up on the word, how could he say that the mad man may try to kill his child? Tightly holding his phone, the plastic device creaked in his grip.

Shouta made his way over to Toshinori and took the phone from him. "Hello, this is Eraserhead, I'll talk for Toshinori here. It seems that Hisashi has it in store for our friend that he was going to try to kill the child that she carries." Toshinori winced at the idea of such a thing happening to his future child. His fiancé was in trouble, he knew that he had to do something. But what could he do while they had no idea where she even was in the first place?!

"Okay, this is her number." Shouta had told Naomasa as they spoke. Toshinori was almost unaware of what it was that they were saying. His mind was thinking everywhere but their conversation. Where could they have gone? They had searched almost the whole city for the man in question and yet they had no idea what it was that the man had in store for Inko.

He could already picture the state of her body when, and if they don't find her on time. Her covered in blood, her green eyes once full of life and love dull as the last embers of life had left her. Her stomach either cut open or burn past skin, and muscle to reach the child within or ripped it out of her as she was still alive. Tightly shutting his eyes, Toshinori tried to ignore the images, only for those images to be replaced with Miyoko. So many emotions and thoughts swirling in his mind that it was almost driving him mad.

"Toshinori!" Shouted Hizashi as he slapped the man across the face.

Toshinori blinked in confusion before he looked at his friend and tilted his head a little. The smack hadn't hurt him, no, more like a mild sting but it had knocked him out of his trance. "You need to calm down Toshinori. I know there are times where we can't always save people we care about. But, we will save Inko. We have a chance to save her, we just need to get her location. We still have a lot of time and Inko is a smart woman." Hizashi said with a serious look on his face. "Think about it, she's lived with him for five years before she finally had the courage to leave him. You just need to have faith in her now."

Taking a deep shuddering breath, Toshinori knew that he had to stay calm. That he had to stay collected or risk everything. If he allowed himself to be lost in his own dismay of thoughts and torrent of emotions, then all would be lost. That was something that he couldn't allow to happen.

Turning to his friend, Toshinori gave Hizashi a small smile as he said "Thanks, I think I needed that." Letting out a soft sigh, he tried to think of a plan. He knew that Hisashi didn't have any idea as to who he was. Only that Inko was protected by him, and a future pro hero named 'All Might'. So, if he went in as Toshinori, then he would have his guard down.

So he would still have the element of surprise, for that he would be grateful for keeping two separate identities.

Though, it was a matter of trying to get the man off his guard so he could get Inko out of there. Maybe if he was able to distract the man, Shouta and Hizashi could get Inko out of there. Shouta would be able to use his quirk to erase Hisashi's fire breath quirk so that would be one step in the right direction. Though would it be enough?

"Okay, they're looking up Inko's phone and they'll send us a location by text." Shouta said as he tossed Toshinori his phone. The blonde, caught it without any issue before he frowned at his friend. "Toshinori, I hope you have your head on straight now. If you lose yourself then-"

"I know, I could lose Inko and the baby. I'm sorry." Toshinori said with a frown before looking away. God, all of this was going to be difficult, though in the end he knew that it would be worth it. There was still a chance that he would be able to get them back.

"I'm sorry guys, I know this wasn't what we had in store to get Hisashi but I do have a plan on how to get Inko out of there."

"Oh?" asked Hizashi.

"I could go in first. Distract him while Shouta can go in and erase Hisashi's quirk and Hizashi you can go and get Inko. Though if a fight breaks out, I may need Shouta to stay with me in case I'll need him to keep Hisashi's quirk erased. I don't know the full extent of it since he was only close to using it on me once." Toshinori said with a frown on his face.

"Sounds like a possible plan. Though what would I do should Inko already be hurt?" asked Hizashi.

"Call for an ambulance of course, tell them that it's an emergency, Inko's pregnant after all. I'm sure that they would do all they could to keep her safe and out of harm's way." Toshinori said with a small smile.

"Alright, though is there anything else you need to tell us?" asked Shouta.

"Tenko said something about him looking… crazy. I think maybe Hisashi is starting to become unstable. I'm not sure why that is, as the last time I had encountered him he seemed stable for a stalker. Even though he was going to such great lengths to capture Inko before or to end her life. He didn't have any kind of crazed look on his face." Toshinori explained with a frown before he crossed his arms in deep thought. God, he hated the idea of waiting.

"Anything else?"

"That was all I could get from Tenko. All he could do was injure his leg thanks to the boy's quirk. Though, Tenko got a broken arm in the process so Hisashi will face charges of child abuse as well." Toshinori said with a groan as he covered his face with his hand. "I'll have to start giving that boy a good allowance for trying to protect his mother." Toshinori whispered. "Hisashi is unstable and needs to be stopped at all costs. We can't allow this to happen to another woman, or anyone for that matter."

"Right." Shouta said with a small nod of his head.

"Yeah, it'd be like if someone tried that with my Shouta! I wouldn't allow myself to stand by and watch as my boyfriend was taken from me!" Hizashi said with a grin.

"Not like it'd be easy to kidnap me Zashi. Don't forget, I am capable of fighting people off." Shouta mumbled with a soft sigh escaping him.

If it wasn't for the fact that his mind and heart were screaming at him to hurry up and save his woman.

Suddenly, his phone chimed, causing all of them to turn their attention to the phone in question before he started to scroll through the screen. There was a message, and it was from Naomasa with the title 'Inko's location, hurry!' Though he just hoped that it would be enough for them to go on. Inko's life was on the line here and this was the only lead that would get him to where she was and so he could hurry up and capture Hisashi before anything happened to her.

The map popped up on his screen with a red dot indicating where Inko's location was. It still blipped as a sign that her phone was still on, still going. Not to mention, that the dot didn't move, so it was a sign that this was where Hisashi had taken her. Narrowing his eyes, he knew that this was the only chance that he had to get her back so they couldn't mess up.

Powering himself up with his quirk, Toshinori looked at his friends as he said "We'll make it there faster if I carry you both and jump. So hold on tight!" Toshinori looked at the map one last time, getting the location memorized before he shoved it into his pocket and grabbed a hold of his friends and jumped.

He was just surprised that Inko's location was a warehouse across town. Not far from where she used to live but, it was really surprising that he would pick such a place as it had been abandoned for a very long time. Years, maybe even longer than he's been a hero at that.

* * *

Toshinori landed and powered down as he released his friends. The plan was easy and simple, he would go in and assumed to be unarmed. Not everyone knew of his hero name as of yet, he had only been in a few talk shows so far and done some heroing on the side besides saving Inko at her café. Though he just hoped that everything would go according to plan.

Taking a deep breath, the young man looked over at his friends as he said "I'll need you to come in when you know the situation starts to escalate." Toshinori turned to his friends as he looked at them. Shouta nodded his head, his capture weapon ready to grab Inko should the need arise. Or, if he needed too, to capture Hisashi.

As for Hizashi himself, well he double checked his phone to make sure that the battery was fully charged and the number was ready to be dialed so he only had to hit 'call' and he would be set.

Toshinori nodded his head and was about to walk in until Shouta pulled him back. "He's gonna know you're a hero if you walk in like that. Powered up or not." Shouta mumbled. "Don't you have some spare clothes you can wear that will still work should you power up?" asked Shouta.

"Yeah, under my hero costume. Hang on." Toshinori peeled off his costume and indeed, he was wearing his favourite white shirt and green cargo pants with what would appear to be a skull belt. He looked over at his friends before he handed Hizashi his costume as he said "Okay, let's just hope that we aren't too late."

Nodding his head, Hizashi tucked the costume in a little satchel that he had with him with some capture gear of his own should the need arise. Toshinori and Shouta, along with Hizashi made their way to the warehouse. It was made of steel so it looked like it would be hot, perfect for someone that would use a fire-related quirk. Though, he couldn't help but wonder what would be awaiting him on the inside.

Carefully, he slid his body through the slightly opened door and tilted his head a little. He couldn't see that well in the dark, though he could hear a sniffle of pain along with a dark chuckle. Toshinori felt his blood boil at the thought of that mad man hurting her.

Turning his gaze to Shouta, he saw that the man nodded his head as a means of 'go on' before they both walked into the warehouse. There was little to no light in here, though Toshinori knew that if Hisashi was staying here the whole time that he must be paying something so he could see.

"Come on Inko, don't make this harder than it already is. Just let me remove that spawn of his and we can move on with our lives!" A slap was heard, causing Inko to cry out.

"No!" Inko shouted back.

"You are making this harder on yourself you know." Hisashi said with a growl in his voice, what Toshinori heard almost made him stop in his tracks. It was the sound of a blade leaving its sheath. Yet, it wasn't as long of a sound as it should be, so it was most likely a knife. Inko cried out more in pain. "Don't worry it was just your arm! Next time it'll be your stomach!"

"Hey!" shouted Toshinori.

"Idiot." Mumbled Shouta.

"Toshi?" Inko whimpered.

There were footsteps, Hisashi was moving that much he knew though he just hoped that it would be a sound of him either moving away, from Inko, or at the very least going toward the two heroes.

Soon, lights flickered to life causing Toshinori to squint his eyes until they have adjusted to the new light. What he saw well, if his blood was boiling before, it was hotter than that. There, Inko laid on the floor. Covered in bruises and cuts on her arms. From the looks of her sun dress, he had tried to cut her stomach but Inko had defended her child with her arms. Toshinori glared at Hisashi. "What have you done to her?!" shouted the blonde.

"Just trying to remove a pest." Hisashi said with a grin. It was twisted, dark and all too giddy for a sane person. "Now, if you'll excuse me my lover and I have some work to do."

"She left you! Why can't you get the hint that she doesn't love you!" Shouted Toshinori.

"Why? Because no one leaves me of course. They know what happens should they leave me." Hisashi said with a snicker before he looked at Toshinori. Fire sparking at his lips yet never seeming to go further than that. Toshinori soon saw the man holding a knife, dripping with Inko's blood having as he had just cut her skin not long ago. "You see, I see myself a lover of beauty. Beauty can never leave me so long as I deem fit. I'll do whatever it takes to keep that beauty at my side."

"So you mean by threats and kidnapping?" Toshinori said with a glare.

"Of course, Inko is just one in many women that I've had. Though sadly I didn't have much on them to keep them at my side. They didn't have any loved ones who I could threaten like my last one." Toshinori glared at that. So he had been using threats as well to keep people with him. God, how was it that this guy wasn't arrested before now of all times? "The last one, my, she was a beauty. It was hard to believe that she wasn't all Japanese. I think I last saw her face my god almost seven years ago."

Toshinori flinched at that. Shouta noticed and had a frown on his face. "What?" Toshinori whispered.

"Ah yes, the last girl I was with. Lovely, though too much of a dreamer. Had a stupid brother who thought he could be a silly hero but it was nothing but a child's fantasy. She had told me that he was quirkless and still dreamed of being a hero." This was sounding familiar. "Though it turns out that he had a master that was willing to teach him. Honestly, I believe they were just giving him false hope but I used it against her."

"You…" Toshinori whispered.

"I told her if she didn't stay with me, I'd have to kill him." Hisashi said with an insane laugh afterwards. "How stupid could she be?! I guess that was the American in her! They are all so stupid!" Shouted Hisashi.

"Shut the fuck up!" Shouted Toshinori.

"Oh? Why? Not like you knew her. After all, she had no one left but her brother here. There is no way that he could stop me even if he did have a quirk. I've gotten away with this so many times. Hell, she was so stupid not to know my real fucking name!" shouted Hisashi.

"Shut up!" Toshinori growled.

"Toshinori calm down." Shouta whispered.

"Now… what was her name again? My god it's been such a long time I think her stupidity has rubbed off on me." Toshinori clenched his hands so tightly that he was sure his nails broke the skin of his palms. This guy must be mad if he was saying all of this. Why else would he sprout all of this information without any kind of remorse in the first place?

"Ah yes, now I remember. Her name was Yagi Miyoko, though I do enjoy exotic things, I had hoped she would have had her brother's blonde hair and blue eyes. That would have made her more beautiful."

Toshinori just stared with wide eyes. Her sister's boyfriend… was right in front of him. The man that had abused her, threatened his life so she wouldn't leave him. Had tried to get her to cut off all ties with him, the man that made her _kill herself_ was right here.

The very son of a bitch that had Miyoko kill herself, had tried to take away his Inko was standing before him he didn't hear anyone else speaking to him. Everything around him had all but stopped as if time had stood still. Voices echoed in his head, echoes of voices that he knew were his own darkest of thoughts that he had wanted to avoid at all costs. Thoughts, that he feared, thoughts that he was afraid to admit was there in the thought that Inko would leave him because he was a danger to herself and their children.

 _Kill him, he took your sister, make him pay._

 _Make him suffer._

 _Beat him until he is inches away from death._

 _Make him pay._

 _Kill him._

 _Kill him!_

 _KILL HIM!_

 _Make him pay Toshinori, make him feel the pain that our sister felt. Make him feel the pain that Inko felt each and every single day that she was with this ass wipe!_

 _Make him beg and plea for his life._

 _Break his arms so he knows what Tenko went through._

 _Have him pay… with his very own life Toshinori, you know you want to._

 _Give into the darkness you know is there! Give into the hate! The desire for revenge is there! GIVE INTO IT!_

Toshinori threw his head back as he let out an animalistic scream of pain and anguish. Everyone just stared at him in stunned silence as they wondered what was wrong with the blonde. Toshinori had never allowed himself to scream this long, not even when he found Miyoko's body, the scream went long and loud until he could no longer scream, until his voice was horse from over use. Lowering his head, Toshinori's eyes all but glowed in the darkness of the warehouse. Shouta of course backed away in fear of his best friend.

It had almost seemed as if Toshinori had clocked out while this new, darker man had taken over his body. This was a Toshinori that only wanted revenge, blood to be spilled and to feel the joy and satisfaction that he had finally gotten the revenge that he had been dreaming of for so long. Toshinori glared down at the fire breather as he all but growled at the man. "You first took my sister…" Toshinori took a step forward, trying to ignore his friend trying to stop him.

"You took away my Inko." Toshinori growled as he took another step forward. It seemed that Toshinori was allowing all of his hate to come forth for the time being. His kind heart covered by darkness and hate. A hate for this man that had forced his sister to kill herself.

"Now, you tried to take away the life that Inko and I created and hurt our son Tenko!" Shouted Toshinori, his voice echoed the area, causing everyone to wince from the pain as it echoed in their ears. This was not the Toshinori that they knew and loved. They all just stared at them, Inko staring at him with fear at the idea of losing the man that she loved dearly. She had told him not to lose himself to this darkness that she knew was dwelling within in his heart and yet now here it was. The very part of him that she feared of losing him too.

Shouta though, had wanted to grab him and take him out of this place so he wouldn't hurt anyone and regret his actions. Every hero has their own darkness, but it seemed that Toshinori had finally given himself to this darkness and the desire for revenge. Though he feared what it was that his friend was going to do. If he lost himself, then there was a possibility that he may be lost to revenge and end up wanting to be giving up his dream of being a hero.

"I'm going to make you pay for everything that you've done to all the people that I've loved and held dear in my heart and I'm going to make you pay for all the things that you've put them through!" Shouted Toshinori, his eyes glowing so brightly that everyone could swear that they saw the burning blazes of hell flashing in his blue eyes. His smile grew wide and sinister. "I'm going to enjoy making you feel the pain you've made all my loved ones feel. By the time I'm through with you, you'll be wishing you were dead."


	28. Toshinori's Anger

Toshinori narrowed his eyes as he looked at the man that had caused all of his pain. His anger, his hate, everything that he had gone through was caused by this man. "You." Toshinori seethed with hate. Everyone that was in the room, save for Hisashi, didn't think that Toshinori could release this much hate in a person. It was something that they found rather amazing, and feared greatly.

"You say your sister? Oh, you're Miyoko's brother? Ha, that's funny. You think you can take me on? You are quirkless if I recall!" Mocked Hisashi. He had a crazed grin on his face as he said "More so since I was given a nice little upgrade to my quirk." In that moment, his whole body ignited in flames.

Toshinori backed up a couple steps as he stared at the man. He knew for a fact that his quirk was just fire breath, Inko had told him that much. But, it seemed that he was… given… no.

"He gave you a quirk." Toshinori declared, causing Inko to look up at her fiancé with shock and confusion. "Gives me another reason to take you down." Toshinori said with a dark smirk on his face. Hisashi glared down at Toshinori, though it was kind of hard to make out his face as he from all of the flames. Hisashi's body was pretty much covered in flames from head to toe. Most likely as a means to increase his fire use, but also as a means of protecting himself.

Toshinori though knew of the perfect way to get at him.

Toshinori held up his hand, focusing his energy into his hand before he flicked his finger out toward Hisashi. The force of air pressure hitting him hard to the point that the flames had gone out. That was when he rushed forward to strike, slamming his fist against the other man's stomach.

Hisashi let out a wheeze as he flew into the wall. It hadn't taken much of Toshinori's strength, he didn't even have to use his quirk on this man. It seemed that he was driven mad, as for why that was, he had no idea. But at the moment, he didn't give two damns how he went nuts. All he cared about was to make pain! To make this man suffer!

Toshinori snarled as he marched toward the man. There was no way that he would let him get away, he would make sure that the man felt all the pain that he had put his family through, making sure that all the pain that Miyoko, Inko, Tenko and his unborn child felt all of the pain that they had gone through. He would make sure that they were avenged!

"Do you feel it yet? The pain that you've put my entire family through!?" Snarled Toshinori.

Hisashi looked up for a moment before he gave a wicked twisted grin. "Oh, you're trying to make me feel the pain that they all felt? But, that was merely a way of my love. Miyoko loved me, so much so that she wouldn't leave me. Just like how I pleasured her so much when I fucked her that she cried in joy!"

Toshinori's eyes sparked in flames before he lifted the man up and held him close to his face. "You think you're all that you little fuck?! You made my sister fucking kill herself! She couldn't stand your abuse and could find no way out other than to kill herself you fucker!" Toshinori spat like it was venom on his tongue. "I'm going to make sure you plea for your life." Toshinori snarled.

He threw the man aside like he was a mere rag doll and marched right on over to him. Hisashi tried to catch his breath as he ignited his flames. Yet, the closer he got, Toshinori noticed that it seemed that the man struggled to breathe as he used his new quirk. Interesting.

Rushing forward, he slammed his fist into Hisashi's stomach once again, knocking the air out of his lungs and, effectively putting out the flames. The man rolled on the ground as he groaned out in pain. It seemed as if he couldn't put up much of a fight and for that Hisashi was grateful. He wouldn't be hard to take down, he could feel the darkness in his heart wanting more bloodshed. More pain, more suffering. While normally, he would have stopped while he had the man down and just chained him up.

But that part of him, was in a sense, on a 'break' as he had lost himself to the darkness in his heart.

"Think you can take me on?" Hisashi said with a smirk.

"I think I'm doing a pretty good job for a 'quirkless' man aren't I? Oh wait, I do have a fucking quirk ass hole!" Shouted Toshinori as he swung his leg and kicked the man in the head. Hisashi spat blood as he bit the inside of his cheek. Plus, it seemed that Toshinori's kick may have cracked his jaw. "How does it feel to be the one being abused?!" Shouted the blonde as his burning eyes burned like hells flames instead of the electricity that everyone who knew him would possess in his gaze.

"Do you want to try pleading for your life now? I may be lenient in my punishment." Toshinori whispered in a deadly tone.

"Fuck off." Hisashi said with a grazed grin on his face. "Do you really think I'll plead for my life anyway? I have much higher standards than that!" Shouted the man as he let out a laugh that seemed to echo in the room. "Once I finish you off, I'll take Inko and remove that brat from her womb and she'll have my child. If not, she'll be killed off like the breeding machine women are! She is nothing! Just a possession just like your fucking sister!"

Toshinori screamed out in a blinding rage as he kicked Hisashi in the lungs, causing him to let out a wheezing breath. The sound of a crack had been heard, though it was hard to say if the rib had merely cracked, or had broken.

"You don't have the right to talk about her that way!" shouted Toshinori. He wanted him to feel more pain, more blood to be shed. He wanted this man to feel everything that his sister, his Inko, his son, and unborn child had gone through. Among the many women who knows Hisashi had ruined, Toshinori wanted to ruin everything that this man had put them through. And he was going to be the one to deliever the final punishment. He would make sure of it.

"Toshi! Stop it!" shouted Inko's voice, causing Toshinori to freeze for a moment as he turned his angered eyes onto her.

Inko stood on trembling legs, held up by Shouta, why he hadn't already taken her out of here, he had no idea but he knew that was the least of his concerns right now, he knew that she was in good hands. Right now he had to deal with Hisashi, now before it was too late. Though, the longer he stared at her he noticed something. What he noticed, made his heart squeeze, for what he noticed was enough to make him freeze in his tracks.

She had tears streaming down her face as she looked up at him. Her hand shakily held onto her belly as she tried to keep herself calm. "Toshi, please stop this. This isn't you! This isn't who you are!" Inko all but shouted at him.

"Inko." Shouta whispered, trying to keep her calm. Why was she shaking so much? Had he scared her so much?

"Toshi I don't want this! I don't want you to kill Hisashi! This isn't the you who I fell in love with! This isn't the you, who your sister looked up too! This isn't what either of us would have wanted!" Inko shouted at him.

"He hurt you! He hurt Miyoko, hurt Tenko! Tried to kill our child!" Toshinori shouted back, anger reflecting his words.

"He did, he did hurt all of us but Toshinori, that doesn't mean it is right for you to hurt him back." Inko said, her voice trembling in a mixture of pain and fear.

Shaking his head, the young hero looked at the love of his life before turning his gaze to the man that caused all of his anger. He knew what he was doing, he knew that this was what he wanted. This was the one thing that he's wanted for a long time. To make Hisashi feel pain, to make the man suffer yet, there was a tiny part of him that felt like what he was doing, was horribly wrong. Taking a deep breath, Toshinori wanted to try to clear his thoughts, the fog though in his mind didn't want to let up. If anything, it was worse than it's ever been before. He felt like it was the force that was driving him mad, and in a way, he knew that this wasn't who he was, this wasn't who he wanted to be! "I…" Toshinori began.

"Toshi, this isn't you. Miyoko and I, Tenko, Shouta and Hizashi don't want to see you like this. Our baby, doesn't want you to be this way. To see you like this is painful Toshinori. Filled with so much rage, so much hate and so much anger isn't you." Inko said.

"Yeah, you're always so happy that it's almost sickening. I know for a fact that your future child and Tenko will end up like you. Those kids can't be raised without you Toshinori, they need their father." Shouta called out.

 _"Nori, will you promise me something?"_

 _"Sure, what is it Yoko?"_

 _"Will you always be a hero that people can look up too?"_

 _"Sure! I'll be a hero that will be a pillar of support. I don't know how to do it but I'll find a way."_

 _"I'm sure you will Nori, you're already my hero, my symbol of peace and my very own pillar."_

"Yoko…" Toshinori whispered, his bangs covering his eyes.

"Toshi, is this what anyone would want of you?" asked Inko with a tremble in her voice.

Toshinori trembled a little, gritting his teeth as he tried to get himself to calm down. He felt everything starting to crash down on him. Yet, he still felt his anger, it was still overwhelming. But, everything else was crashing in on him as well. "Inko…" Toshinori whimpered out softly. He trembled more before he looked over at Inko, his eyes filling with tears that seemed to refuse to fall. God, what was he about to do? Had he been so consumed that he was willing to kill a man?

"Toshinori, just let the legal system do this. Let them give him the justice that we all deserve. That all the people he's hurt deserved." Inko whispered gently, though her voice was still laced with pain. A sharp gasp left her lips causing Toshinori to look over at Inko. Hisashi must have hurt her a lot more than he thought, and it angered him all the more. His thoughts once again starting to be clouded with anger toward the man. How dare he hurt Inko!

Yet, his gaze teared up a little more as a ghostly image of Miyoko appeared. Before all of her scars, all of her injuries that was caused by the man that was laying on the ground before him. Her smile was still as bright as it always was, yet he could see her lips moving as she spoke.

 _"Be happy, help those in need and I know, that you could be an amazing symbol of peace like you've always said you'd be."_

Toshinori let out a choked up sob as the tears started to roll down his cheeks. God, why was he doing this? Why had he thought that this was all justified in the first place? No one deserved this, even if they had done so much wrong in their life, they didn't deserve this fate. "Fear… not…" Toshinori whispered, his voice trembling as he spoke. "For, I am here!" Toshinori declared, trying to keep his voice from sounding all choked up… only to fail. "I'm so sorry." Toshinori whispered as he covered his mouth, hoping that he could stop the choked up sobs as they left his throat. God, why couldn't he stop himself right now?

"You're all talk… you said you'd take me down and yet I still breathe!" He laughed like a man mad, and went to use his quirk again but it seemed that he couldn't even use it. His quirk wouldn't allow it as it seemed as if he couldn't breathe properly. Did it work around the oxygen that he would intake? Was that why he was losing his mind? Overuse of his quirk?

Toshinori tuened his gaze at the man, they narrowed for a moment before he forced all of the emotion to fade from his eyes. Toshinori reached into his pocket and pulled out some cuffs and handcuffed Hisashi's hands behind his back. "You're done. We have more than enough evidence to lock you up. Abuse of women, the cause of death of one, maybe more, abuse of a child, kidnapping and threat of and attempt of murder." He whispered, though his body was still trembling, though if it was from his own pain or from the fact that he had allowed himself to be lost to his own hate, he didn't know. It still hurt him either way.

Taking a deep breath, Toshinori rushed to Inko and knelt in front of her. "Inko, I'm so sorry! I didn't… I don't know what happened! I just felt… I… I'm so sorry." Toshinori apologized to her. He wasn't sure what more he could say. All he knew was that right now, he felt like he didn't deserve to be a hero. He had tried to kill a man for crying out loud, that was something that he didn't deserve, that much was for sure.

"It… it's okay. You're back now. That's what matters." Inko said before she winced and took a deep breath. Her hands resting on her stomach, it caused the blonde to stare at her in confusion.

"What's wrong?" asked Toshinori. Inko looked up at Toshinori as she said "I… I think I need to go to the hospital."

What? Why would she need to go to the hospital in the first place? Frowning a little, Toshinori tilted his head as he asked "Why?"

"I… I think my water broke."

Toshinori blinked a few times. It seemed that the words couldn't process what it was that she had said to him. He tilted his head a little before it seemed to have clicked into his head what it was that Inko had just said to him. "Your… water broke?"

"Yes." Inko said with a wince.

"But you're two months early!" Toshinori said in shock and concern.

"The stress of everything must have induced her." Shouta said as he let out a soft sigh. "You take her to the hospital, you're faster than us. Hizashi and I can handle Hisashi here." Once he said those words, he used his capture weapon to grab onto the fire user so he couldn't get away.

"Thanks." Toshinori whispered before he picked up Inko in his arms and ran off using his quirk to power up his legs. Though he was thankful that he hadn't shifted yet, then again he hadn't fully powered up so his body hadn't changed all that much. Turning his gaze down at Inko, he frowned a little as he said "I'm so sorry Inko. I never meant to lose myself."

"I don't blame you Toshi. I won't lie though, I was scared for you, thinking that I had lost you to your anger and hate." Inko said with a sigh before burying her face against his chest. She let out a pained whimper before letting out a soft sigh. "I'm just happy to have my Toshi back." Inko whispered.

"But still, you saw me like that. It was something that I wanted to avoid and yet I still ended up like that. I'm so sorry. I don't know if I… I… I don't deserve to be a hero if I could lose myself like that."

"Stop that right now!" Inko shouted, only to wince in pain as she held her stomach. "Toshi, you still managed to get control. If you had killed him then I would have lost you. You still managed to regain your senses, if you killed him then returned then… then you would have been lost to me." Inko let out a soft sigh before she looked up as she saw the tears starting to fall down her face. Toshinori couldn't help but feel more of his own tears fall down his cheeks.

Pressing his forehead against her, Toshinori felt himself let out a deep shuddering breath before he felt his feet land on a roof, before he jumped off once again. "Inko, I promise that I will spend the rest of my life making sure that I never go back to that darkness… I never want to make you worry about you."

"Toshi, just make it up by being the hero you are meant to be." Inko whispered softly before kissing his cheek.

He gave her a soft smile before nuzzling against her. God, what did he ever do to ever deserve such a woman? Inko was perfect, she wanted to believe in him even when he himself didn't believe in himself. Mostly like he had right now.

He still couldn't forgive himself for allowing himself to lose control over his own darkness. Though, he knew that everyone had darkness in their heart but he was thankful that he hadn't finished what he wanted to do. He was thankful that Inko was there for him, that she had made sure that he hadn't taken the revenge that his sub-conscious wanted of him.

His conscious on the other hand, had finally been allowed back in control and he felt the full impact of what could have happened. Letting out a deep breath, Toshinori looked down as he saw that they were getting closer and closer to the hospital. Though he'd have to make a phone call later to tell his friend to bring Tenko to the hospital. God, everything was happening too fast, though he just hoped that the baby would be okay. Sure, he knew that Tenko was still a couple months early, he knew that everything was still coming along far too quickly.

God, was he even ready to be a father to a newborn baby?

Maybe not, but he was going to help Inko.

Because he loved her more than anything in this world.

Taking a deep breath, Toshinori looked down at Inko and saw that she was shaking in pain. The young woman tightly held onto his shirt as she took deep breaths. It seemed that she wanted to get control over herself, wanting to stop her pain though it seemed that she couldn't stop herself from letting out little sobs of pain. Seeing her like this hurt his heart that much was for sure, though he knew that the end result would be worth it at the very least.

"It'll be okay Inko, we're almost there!" Toshinori said with a smile, he hoped that would be enough to assure Inko. They were now at the hospital, he looked up at the hospital staff as he said "Please help her, she's about to give birth!"


	29. Dreams and Izuku

Toshinori couldn't believe that this had happened. Inko had gone into early labor, mostly from the stress of Hisashi threatening her life, along with their child's… He couldn't help but wince as he knew that he was also at fault. He had also added onto that stress when he lost himself to his rage. God, he barely even remembered everything that was going through him at the moment. It just seemed all too real and it bothered him.

Why did he go into such a blinding rage just from the man's words? Was it because Inko was right? That he had allowed the hate to blind him just because he was so obsessed with finding the man that Miyoko was with in the first place? Looking up at the clock, he saw that Inko had been in the room for some time, maybe an hour. Was she having some difficulties?

Dear lord he hoped that wasn't the case.

He wasn't allowed in the room as it seemed that Inko was stressed, and his own stress and worry was overpowering her as well. It wasn't good for her or the baby and now… now… they were at a risk of losing their child.

Not just because he was early, it wasn't bad being two months early right? Though, it didn't help because of the stress that she had to go through. All of it, it had been too much.

As he had waited, he had made a couple phone calls, telling his friend that Inko and he are at the hospital, he's in the waiting room. His friend, Naomasa had told him that Tenko's arm was for the most part healed though was still tender. They would arrive in a few minutes he believed if he was remembering right.

Shouta and Hizashi on the other hand would take longer as they had to take Hisashi to the station and have him in a room that would erase his quirk. Though, Toshinori knew that he would have to pay Shouta a lot of cat related items to make up for him using his quirk for such a long time. After all, they had only been prepared for him to breathe fire, not to have his body surrounded by flames.

That was another thing. Hisashi had mentioned something about getting a new quirk, it made him rather surprised that _he_ of all people would go out of his way to help someone unless the quirk would have been too dangerous for him himself to use. Though from what he could recall from his rage induced mind, he could recall that Hisashi was having difficulties catching his breath, and when he had the wind knocked out of him, the flames went out with it.

It seemed, that the quirk itself didn't just rely on the air around him, but the air that the body needed as it creates a shield so to speak. Not just as a means to power himself up, but taking all the brain's oxygen which would cause brain damage and most likely damage to the nerves that had an effect on his thoughts, his personality among other things.

Though, it still didn't excuse Toshinori of how he acted. Of the way he had attacked that man even if he in a way, had a right. He had wanted to kill him.

Closing his eyes, the young man didn't think he deserved to be a hero. He didn't think he had a right to be a hero even if he was doing it to save his family and to avenge his sister. He could have done it differently, could have just disarmed him and merely capture him, instead he went just about all out but not enough to kill him. Toshinori wanted him to feel so much pain and wanted to hear the man plea for his life.

Shaking his head of such dark thoughts, Toshinori sat down on a nearby chair as he grasped at his heart. Damn it all, he was so weak. He was so fucking weak that he didn't know if he could be the hero his master believed him to be. He was no pillar of support, was no symbol of peace… he was nothing but a weak man who couldn't protect his family and all those he cared about. "I'm so sorry Miyoko, I wasn't the hero you thought I'd become." He whispered softly before he saw his vision blur with tears.

He hunched forward and buried his face into his hands as he let out a choked up sob. Toshinori didn't know what he could do. The waiting itself was what was killing him. The blonde felt powerless, felt like everything was doing all it could to go against him so he couldn't have a happy life. It seemed as if the gods wanted him to be alone at all costs and it was killing him.

It wasn't enough to take away his parents.

It wasn't enough to take away his sister.

Not enough to take away his master.

Now, it seemed that it wasn't even enough to take away the one woman whom he loved with all of his heart and the child that their love created. What was he to do? What could he do? It just seemed as if everything was against him and would do all it could to ruin his life in any shape or form. It wasn't enough it seemed for the gods to want him to feel so much pain and to suffer. His heart couldn't take any more of this, he just couldn't take any more of this. It hurt him more than any blow to his body, it was a wound to his heart and his very soul.

Leaning back, Toshinori wiped away his tears, wanting to laugh that Inko was rubbing off on him though he couldn't help but feel more tears rolling down his cheeks. Any reminder of her just made him remember where she was, and what had put her in such a state in the first place. "Please be okay Inko, please be okay…" whispered Toshinori before he felt his eyes close.

 _Toshinori groaned a little as he looked around the room. No, this wasn't a room, it was just an empty black void. "Where am I?" He asked, his voice seeming to echo around the void. Okay, this was starting to creep him out, it made him think that he had died but then he remembered, that he was in the hospital room, so if he had died they would have tried to bring him back. Not to mention, he was perfectly fine before so that couldn't be the case… right?_

 _"Am I dead?" he decided to ask, not really expecting an answer._

 _"No, you're not dead Nori." Came a voice, a voice that he hadn't heard in almost seven years._

 _Toshinori whipped around as he looked in the area. "Yoko!? Where are you!?" This had to be real, this couldn't be a dream. Dear god don't let this be a dream! This can't be a dream! Please!_

 _"Nori, I'm proud of you." Came Miyoko's voice as her body appeared before him. She was so much shorter than he was, and looked like she did before her death, before she was dating Hisashi. His eyes were wide as he stared at her. Smile on her face as she giggled. Even her laugh was like it was before everything had happened. "You finally found him Nori, and… you didn't kill him." Miyoko said with a gentle smile on her face._

 _"Yoko… I… I'm so sorry! I didn't save you, I couldn't save you in time and I'm so sorry! Can you ever forgive me!" Toshinori said with tears streaming down his cheeks._

 _Miyoko frowned a little before she tilted her head at him. Hair falling in her face before she reached up and tucked a lock behind her ear. "Nori, I told you in the letter. My choice was never your fault. It was mine, and mine alone. I didn't seek out the help I should have, and I didn't believe in your strength." She gave him a sad smile before she looked off into the distance. It made Toshinori wonder what it was that she was seeing, though maybe it was something that he himself wasn't ready yet._

 _"I won't lie though Nori, I had hoped that I could have stayed with you. I would have loved to meet the woman who captured my brother's heart." Miyoko said with a soft and gentle smile on her face. "I bet I would have liked her."_

 _"You would have loved Inko, I know she would have loved you Yoko." Toshinori said with a sad smile._

 _"Nori, I know how you went about when you fought Takahashi-san… I mean, Hisashi." Miyoko said with a frown on her face and that was when Toshinori felt so much shame creeping itself in his heart once more. Just as he was about to apologise to her, the young woman held up her hand. "Don't. I also saw how Inko brought you out of that darkness. I know it isn't much, but she was able to save your heart and for that I am forever grateful to her."_

 _"I still was blinded by rage Yoko." Toshinori whispered._

 _"That is true, you were. But you had so much going on in your heart that even you didn't know was there. You were mad when you couldn't find any idea on who Hisashi was back then, that he was the reason I took my own life. That he hurt your son's arm and tried to kill Inko and your unborn child." Miyoko said before she took a couple steps toward him, giving him a small smile. "Yet, you still held back."_

 _"Because I wanted him to suffer-"_

 _Slap._

 _"Ow!" Shouted Toshinori as he held his hand, causing him to look down at his sister with a frown on his face. "What the hell Yoko!"_

 _"That was for thinking such things! Yes, you were angry, yes, you were pissed off because he had harmed and threatened your family who knows how many times. But you still held back because there was a small part of you that didn't want to kill him. That didn't want to hurt him no matter how much he had hurt you." Miyoko said before she pulled on her brother's one lock of blonde hair to pull him down to her height. He winced from the feeling, wondering why he could even feel anything like this in the first place. "But, you are still a hero deep down Nori, you are a hero that everyone can look up too."_

 _"Yoko… I still used my quirk on him and most likely came close to killing him."_

 _"Ah, but All Might didn't attack him. Only Yagi Toshinori did, if anything your friend may only give you some community service or only take away your hero's license for a little while and you'll get it back. You don't have anything to worry about Nori. You worry far too much."_

 _Toshinori gave her a small smile before saying "That's your fault you know. You were such a cry baby, always so sensitive and worried for others that I wanted to take away all of your worries."_

 _Miyoko pouted a little as she said "I can't help it, I was like mom in that aspect." Toshinori gave her a solemn smile before he pulled her into a tight hug. "Nori, you can still be a hero, I know you can." Miyoko said as she hugged him back as best as she could._

 _Toshinori couldn't help but frown a little, why was it that he could feel warmth from her? If this was only her spirit that he was talking too, then he shouldn't be able to feel anything from her. Such as her slap, pulling on his hair or the warmth that he was feeling from her. This was nothing but a dream, he knew that but he wanted to hold onto her a little while longer. Was that so wrong?_

 _"Nori, I love you my big stupid, silly, weirdo of a twin brother." Miyoko whispered._

 _"I love you too Yoko, my silly, sensitive cry baby of a twin sister." Toshinori whispered._

 _Pulling back, Toshinori looked at her for a moment longer as he asked "Yoko, I have to know, how can I feel all of this? I mean, you're dead and I'm… I'm asleep aren't I?"_

 _Giggling softly, Miyoko whispered "It's because you are my twin brother. We are still connected, even while I am not with you on the living plain of existence, I am still connected to you therefore, you can still feel me even when you can't see me, and I'll always be around you Toshinori. Now, go out there and be a hero, and a father, and husband to your family and everyone who needs you."_

 _Toshinori smiled gently as he said "Alright, I'll be the hero that you always saw me as Miyoko, the hero that I know that I still am. A hero that can be there for people who cry out for help and hope." His smile soon grew so big that it would have broken his face if he wasn't used to doing such a thing._

 _"That's the brother I know and love!" Miyoko said with a smile before looking around her and saw that the void was starting to tremble. "It seems that our time is up. You're starting to come around, maybe if you need more advice, I'll see you again Toshinori." Miyoko whispered softly before she started to wave her brother off and slowly vanished._

 _Wait, she was leaving him already? No! He just got her back even though… he knew that it was a dream. Rushing towards her, arm stretched out as he said "Wait Yoko! Don't leave yet! I want to tell you so much! If I have a daughter, Inko and I want to name her after you! We want to keep your memory alive, we want you to still be a part of our family even if you're not there! I'll tell our children all about their aunt Yoko! I promise you this, you'll never die! Not again, I'll make sure that you live on forever in our hearts!"_

 _Miyoko stared with wide eyes as she stared at her brother. Even as he phased through her body, and landed behind her. The young woman slowly turned around and stared at her brother before kneeling before him and reached out placing a hand on his head, much like he did so many times with her when they were children. "Thank you Nori… thank you for everything that you've done for me. I feel like, now I have thanked you properly." She whispered gently, tears streaming down her cheeks as she kissed his forehead before she faded in what one would best describe as sparkles of light before even those had disappeared from his sight._

 _"Yoko… no, thank you for everything you've done for me." Toshinori whispered before everything started to fade._

"Toshi?" came a voice, causing Toshinori to groan in pain and discomfort as he opened his tired and bleary eyes and saw his friends into the room. Hizashi had his hand on his shoulder, having started to shake him from his sleep. "You okay there buddy?" asked Hizashi.

Toshinori blinked a few times before sitting up a bit more on his seat. He couldn't help but look around as he wondered how long he had been asleep for. It just seemed as if everything was a dream, no, it wasn't a dream. He had felt Miyoko, he felt his sister and felt… so much lighter now. Much more than he's ever felt in his entire life.

"Hey, Toshinori are you gonna say something?" Shouta calmly said. Wondering why the blonde wasn't saying anything yet. It seemed as if he was disoriented or something.

"Yeah, looks like you've been crying in your sleep." Said Naomasa as he held Tenko's hand. "What did you dream about? Inko's fine so far, though she's still in the process of having the baby."

Toshinori looked up at his friend before looking down at Tenko. He saw the little boy shifting side to side as he looked at anything other than his father. It almost broke his heart, but Toshinori knew that they both needed this. "Tenko, come here please son." Tenko looked up for a moment before he let go of Naomasa's hand, he seemed nervous until a soft sob escaped the boy and he ran to Toshinori and wrapped his arms around him. Toshinori held onto the boy tightly as if he was a lifeline.

"Toshinori are you okay?" asked Hizashi with a frown.

"I am, more so than I've been in a long time." Toshinori whispered softly, only loud enough for his friends to hear him before he peeked up at them through his lashes.

"Then what's wrong?" asked Shouta.

"I don't think you three would believe me." Toshinori whispered softly.

"Try us." Shouta mumbled.

Toshinori let out a soft sigh, though he didn't let go of his son. He couldn't, it felt like if he did that he'd fall apart even though he still felt light, he felt terrible for losing his sister again. Turning his gaze down at his son, Tenko looked up at him with concern in his red eyes. "Dad?" He said softly, curious as to if he was going to be okay.

"I… I dreamt about Miyoko." Toshinori managed to whisper.

"What?" Hizashi said with a frown.

"I know, it sounds crazy but… I saw her! I spoke to her and she talked back! It felt so real!" Toshinori said with a frown on his face as he looked up at his friends. "She told me to forgive myself. To let go and live my life that I should still be a hero even after what I've done to Hisashi. I… I had wanted to give up and she talked sense into me." Toshinori said with a frown on his face. Setting Tenko on his lap, Toshinori let out a soft sigh as he looked down at his son and ruffled his hair a bit. Causing the boy to pout, Toshinori could only smile at that. "She spoke to me you guys, and I felt so much better for it. I felt… so much lighter even though she slapped me when it came to my guilt over my fight with Hisashi."

"That sounds like her." Shouta mumbled, causing Toshinori to look up with a frown.

"There are theories that a twins bond, depending on how strong it is can transcend death. You and Miyoko had a very powerful bond, though I think that because of your mind blocked all memory of her, you refused to let her in so to speak. Then of course after you remembered her, your own guilt, pain, and ideas of revenge in your hate filled heart had still blocked you." Shouta calmly explained before he crossed his arms over his chest. "Now that you have it mostly out of your system, you were finally able to connect with her again and she was able to talk some sense in that hard head of yours."

Toshinori just blinked at Shouta as if he had just grown a second head. "You should be a teacher." Toshinori spoke out of the blue.

"I don't know, don't think kids would want to listen to me as a teacher." Shouta said with a shrug.

"I think you'd be a great teacher Shouta!" said Hizashi with a grin on his face, causing Shouta to blush a little.

"I'll think about it." He mumbled.

"So, you spoke to Miyoko?" asked Hizashi.

"Yeah, I guess she couldn't fully pass on because she felt like she hadn't thanked me properly. She finally did, and I had to tell her that I'd tell my children about her. To make sure that she knew that she'd never be forgotten. No matter what, they would always remember her as will I." Toshinori smiled as he let out a soft sigh.

"Dad? When will you speak about her? I wanna know." Tenko said with a frown.

Toshinori smiled at his son before saying "I'll tell you about her later son. Right now, I fear that if I start talking about her now the doctor will come out. I'm worried for your mom."

"But mom's strong, she'll be okay! Then the baby will be here and we can all be happy! That guy won't hurt her anymore right?" Tenko said as he tilted his head to the side.

"Well, since the baby is a bit early, and due to all of the stress with everything that's happened I fear that… we may lose the baby." Toshinori let out a soft sigh, causing Tenko to frown a little. "We don't know, but I hope that the baby will be okay."

"I'm sure the baby will be fine, the baby will be strong like you and mom. I'm sure of it!" Tenko said with a smile on his face. Toshinori couldn't help but smile at the boy, he was already nothing but smiles even though he had gone through such an ordeal. Maybe, seeing that he and Inko for the most part had been brought back or maybe, he was trying to cheer up Toshinori.

Oh wait…

"Shouta, how bad was Hisashi's leg? Tenko's quirk was used on it." Toshinori mumbled.

"To be honest? I was amazed he was still standing. The skin was completely destroyed and all you could make out was muscle tissue. Tenko did a real number on his leg but it's being treated as we speak before we take him to the jail and to a court of law. He'll be going away for a long time with all the cases against him." Shouta answered back with a yawn. "Now, if you'll excuse me I'm gonna have a nap." With that, Shouta pulled out a long fluffy sleeping bag that Toshinori didn't even know how he carried that thing around without anyone noticing. Though the man crawled in and zipped himself up to the point where he looked like a big yellow caterpillar.

"How does he carry that thing?" asked Toshinori.

"Honestly? I have no idea. That's one thing I never figured out." Answered Hizashi with a frown on his face. "But I know it fits two if the need arises."

"I didn't need to know that." Toshinori said with a sigh.

"Yagi-san?" Toshinori looked up at the doctor as he walked out. The man looked exhausted yet he had a kind smile on his face as he looked at the man and the little boy on his lap. "Well, good news or bad news?" asked the doctor.

"What… what's the bad news?" asked Toshinori, hoping and praying that it wasn't what he thought it was.

"Well, bad news, Inko had lost a bit of blood and it was a bit of touch and go for a little when it came to the baby. We did everything within our power to save the baby." The doctor said.

"And… and the good news?"

"Congrats, it's a boy and he's alright. Mom and baby are just resting right now and you may go and see them both. But I should warn you, the little one is very tiny and it was amazing that he survived at all from all the stress that Inko had gone through herself. But, it seems you have a fighter on your hands." The doctor said with a chuckle. "Now, only family can go in."

Toshinori pushed himself up, holding onto Tenko as he looked at the boy. "Ready to meet your baby brother?" asked Toshinori.

"Yeah!" Tenko said with a smile on his face.

Toshinori chuckled as he made his way down the hall. Following the doctor as he wondered how Inko was. She must have gone through hell and back just to have their son. If he was honest, he was worried to what their child would go through down the road. It seemed that everything was going in different ways, and he feared that something would go wrong when so far everything was fine.

Tenko though was pretty much bouncing in his arms. Toshinori couldn't help but smile at the boy, he was so excited to meet his new baby brother. "Now son, your mom will be very exhausted, so you must be careful okay?" He said calmly, hoping that the little boy will understand.

"Okay dad." Tenko said with a smile on his face.

"Good man." Toshinori said with a smile.

Though, he couldn't help but wonder what it was that Inko would say to him the moment he went into the room. Then again, she wasn't mad at him when he was rushing her here. So, that had to mean that everything was okay now. The way it should be, Inko and he can live a happy life with their children that was the only thing that he ever really wanted.

"In here, Inko is awake and the baby is perfectly fine but we'll need to observe him for a few days to make sure nothing is wrong."

"I understand." Toshinori said with a smile. "Thank you for saving both of them." He added before walking into the room.

What he saw made his heart leap into his throat. There, Inko laid on the bed sitting up while she held onto a little bundle of blue blankets. The only sound from them was Inko's humming, and a soft coo coming from the baby. "Inko." Toshinori whispered breathlessly.

Inko looked up, her humming stopped before she smiled happily. "Look Izuku, there's your daddy and big brother." Izuku just cooed and gurgled in responds.

Toshinori smiled before he made his way over to Inko, carefully setting the little excited boy in a chair before taking a seat next to the boy, pulling himself and Tenko closer to the bed. "How are you feeling my dear?" asked Toshinori.

"Honestly? Exhausted. I just wanna go home but I know that I'll be needed here for a little bit." Inko said with a soft smile on her face. "They couldn't risk a natural birth with how much stress I was in so had to do a C-section." Inko said softly before leaning back in her bed a little more. Though, she looked over at Toshinori and just gave him the softest smiles that he's ever seen on her before in his entire life. "Do you wanna hold him?" asked Inko.

He couldn't speak, it was something that he's wanted to do and honestly? Before he didn't think he deserved to hold his child but… after his talk with Miyoko he felt like he could now. It was something that he had wanted to do the moment he learned Inko was pregnant and thought for a brief moment that he didn't deserve to. Now… he knew that he wanted to hold his son.

"Yes." Toshinori said softly.

Smiling, Inko carefully moved her arms as she handed the baby to Toshinori. The blonde leaned back in his chair so Tenko could have a better look at his baby brother. "He's so tiny." Tenko said, and Toshinori couldn't help but chuckle a little. "He'll get bigger though right?" asked Tenko.

"Of course he will sweetie, if anything he may end up the same height as your dad." Inko said with a smile.

Toshinori couldn't help but look down at Izuku. The little boy had green curls for hair, though he couldn't help but wonder if his hair will be straight like Inko's or rather fluffy like his own. The baby opened his eyes and peeked up at his father, Toshinori saw the little boy just staring at him as if examining him. "Hey Izuku, I'm your daddy." Toshinori said with a smile on his face. The baby cooed and gurgled before waving his little arm around. The blonde couldn't help but smile before he reached down and carefully placed his index finger against the baby's hand.

Izuku grabbed onto his father's finger and gurgled a little. "He already has a strong grip." Toshinori said with a smile on his face. He couldn't help but smile at the boy, he was perfect. Green eyes just like his mother and he could already make out some freckles on his cheeks. Where that came from he had no idea, though it still made him more precious.

"So, his name is Izuku?" asked Tenko.

"Yeah, it was a name that your dad and I wanted." Inko said with a smile on her face.

Toshinori chuckled before kissing Izuku's chubby cheek, causing the baby to gurgle in responds. "Yeah, though if we had a girl we were gonna name her after your aunt Miyoko."

"Dad, will you tell me about her now? Please?" Tenko asked with a tilt of his head.

"Sure." Toshinori said with a chuckle. "Let's see, where should I start? Ah yes, Miyoko and I were born here in Japan with our parents. Mom was from America, which is where I get the blonde hair and blue eyes from."

Toshinori spent the whole night telling Tenko about his aunt. Izuku of course ended up drifting off to sleep during the story. Inko though, she just watched as father and son spoke. She noticed that Toshinori seemed much more at peace now. More so than she's seen him in a long time, and for that she was forever thankful.

Now, she hoped that they can have their happily ever after. That was the only thing that she would want with her family, for them all to live a happy life where they can always be happy and have their lives filled with love and laughter.

 _'That is the only thing my family deserves.'_ both Inko and Toshinori thought to themselves.


	30. Our Happily Ever After For Now

It had been a long time, the court case against Hisashi had gone the way they had hoped. He had charges against him for kidnapping, abuse, cause of a few suicides as it turns out. Then of course there were kidnappings, then add on the attempt of murder and injuring a child. Hisashi was also taken into a mental ward, as Eraserhead, being the main hero on the lot, as All Might hadn't made an appearance having been stuck with another case.

Inko of course had to go to the stand to give her side of the story, such as how she met Toshinori when he saved her from him at the bar. To the shooting, to the possible hit and run that he had put her through. Then of course the fear and abuse that he had put her through while the two were together. What had sealed his fate, was when he had broken a child's arm just to get her away, and of course when he kidnapped her and tried to kill her child. Which, could have also resulted in her own death.

Toshinori, he had pleaded to have been there to rescue Inko along with Eraserhead. Not wanting to just stand by and do nothing thinking that he could have been of help.

He had gone on and on about how he had beaten the man due to the fact that his own sister was with him and had taken her own life because Hisashi had ruined her life for her, and couldn't leave out of fear for her brother's life.

Mitsuki, had brought all of Miyoko's case files that even showed pictures of Miyoko's body, showing them old scars along with the new ones. Wounds that were caused by knives and other sharp objects then of course, burns that were most likely caused by Hisashi's quirk.

He was sentenced to life in prison, and of course to see a doctor about his mental health.

Toshinori of course was still amazed that he was getting off without just about any kind of repercussion to his participation in getting involved in a hero's case. Though, maybe Miyoko was right, his friend had pulled some strings and allowed him to get off with a warning.

Though, from there on out, their lives had gotten a little easier. Though, Tenko had started to suffer nightmares of Inko getting kidnapped, and him not being able to save her. Toshinori and Inko agreed that it was best that he went and got some help for it. So, they had made arrangements for the little boy to see a councillor until they had deemed otherwise.

Now, the nightmares only came once in a little while, though still far too frequent for the parents liking.

Inko of course, had her own problems. It was mostly leaving the house with Izuku and Tenko. She didn't feel safe for that, Toshinori though, he would walk with her if he was home or if Inko felt like she was too scared to walk home from Mitsuki's home from one of the little play dates that they had set up for Izuku and Katsuki, Toshinori would always go and get her. Or, if he couldn't he would ask Shouta or even Hizashi to go get her.

Toshinori of course, was concerned with Inko and had told her that maybe it was best for her to see a shrink. Thinking that, if the fear still persisted her that it would be best for her to seek out help. Inko of course, couldn't say no, if the fear was preventing her from living her life then she went along with it and she hadn't regretted her choices.

Their lives were filled with sadness for a little while, as Toshinori would still sometimes cry out in shock and tremble as he woke up. At first, he had thought that it was nothing but just a bad dream, memories of his fight with Hisashi and of course, memories of Miyoko coming and going to when he found her body to her calling out to him. He knew that he had forgiven himself, and of course she had forgiven him as well.

Yet, he knew that it was just because of his lingering regrets to trying to kill someone. Inko suspected that it was because he still regretted to kill Hisashi, and the lingering regrets that lingered to not knowing who Hisashi was sooner to save Miyoko. She had told him that maybe he should try talking to her about it before they made decisions for him to see a shrink.

Toshinori of course, spoke to her about his nightmares. Then of course, as he spoke to them with Inko, he found that he felt so much better to finally let them out. As he spoke to her about each nightmare that he would have, the slowly they had started to fade away and for that he was thankful.

Though they all knew that there was still so much more than everything that had happened in their lives. Once they were sure that everything had settled for the most part, Inko getting some of her own fears out of the way of going outside. Tenko's nightmares of losing Inko all over again, and of course Toshinori's nightmares had started to cease in the end, they all felt like their lives could finally get back on track.

Yet, they all could agree on one thing that they were thankful in their lives.

Izuku.

The little baby was nothing but a bundle of joy in their lives. He was nothing but smiles and all he would do was squeal in delight, coo or giggle along with a gurgle here and there though mostly when he was hungry.

No matter how bad their day was, or how down they were, Izuku was the one ray of sunshine that came into their lives and made everything so much brighter. It was as if, Izuku had a quirk that made people happy, though then again there was no proof of that happening.

Izuku was just a baby, so they'll find out later on in life if that was really his quirk or if he has a quirk. For now, they were just happy to have someone in a happy mood regardless if the others weren't.

After the whole incident with Hisashi, and everything else was out of the way, Toshinori and Inko had started to plan their wedding. With everything going on, they didn't think having a wedding right after would have been the best of choices. Plus, with Izuku being as young as he was, they didn't want to be apart from him and he wasn't ready to be around for such events as of yet.

So, they settled on waiting until the boy was around two years old.

Now, here they were on their wedding day and well… to say the lease the bride and groom were nervous on such a day that would forever bind them in holy matrimony.

"Okay Toshinori, are you ready?" asked Hizashi as he helped straightened the groom's tie.

Honestly? Toshinori was nervous. What if Inko was having second thoughts about this? Sure they've been together for three years, or at the very least almost three years of dating. Though he couldn't help but wonder, what if she was going to leave him? What if she never showed up? Oh god, she was going to leave him!

"Toshinori!" shouted Hizashi, causing the panicking groom to look at his friend.

"Yeah?" came Toshinori's reply.

"Relax, Inko isn't going to leave you."

"How did you-?"

"The look on your face said it all. When you deal with Shouta on a daily bases like I do, you learn how to read someone's eyes." Hizashi said with a small smile on his face. "Inko loves you, and you love her. If anyone is perfect for each other, it's the two of you. Nothing will change that."

"But-"

"Toshinori, you will be fine. Inko will show up." Hizashi said with a chuckle. "Now, make sure everything is set up for when you meet your bride, I'll go check on Shouta and the boys for you. I think they may be overwhelming him." With that, Hizashi walked out and went to go check on his boyfriend.

Toshinori sighed softly as he looked at his reflection. He didn't really do much with his hair, well he brushed it and gelled it a little too slick it back a bit though he just felt like it made him look a little too much like All Might. He wanted the world to know that Inko was marrying Yagi Toshinori, not All Might. He wanted to make sure that she was safe from everyone that would soon know who he was.

Rubbing his face, the young man couldn't help but feel nervous. It just seemed like everything before this moment was perfect and now that he was going to marry the woman of his dreams well, he felt like everything was shattering around him. Fixing his hair a little, making sure that he kept his signature locks framing the sides of his face rather than slicked back, he felt like this made it a little better. So the world knew who it was that Inko would marry.

Yet, both sides to him would do anything to keep her smile. To protect her gentle heart and her lively green eyes shining with love and life. That was how it should be, the way it was meant to be. The only way, for Inko to be was for her to always be smiling.

He smiled at the thought of that, he loved her smile. It made him happy, proud that he was the reason for her smiles and laughter.

Checking over his suit a bit, he had gone with the traditional black tux, though he had decided on an emerald coloured tie to match her eyes. While Inko well, he didn't know what it was that she had on. Only that he'd be 'surprised' by her choice. Though she had also mentioned that she had another surprise for him, whatever that was he couldn't help but be curious as to what it was.

As for the wedding preparations, well Inko's coworkers had decided to pitch in on all the food and decorate everything. Hizashi, of course had been made best man and Mitsuki was maid of honor. Shouta, of course was given child duty as he was watching Tenko and Izuku. Tenko wore his own little tux that matched Toshonori's though he insisted on wearing a blue tie instead.

As for Izuku, he also wore a little suit though he wanted to wear a green tie because well…

 _"I wanna match mama!"_

It was cute, and the little boy was rather smart already for only being two years old. He liked heroes much to Toshinori's surprise since the little boy was surrounded by them on a daily bases though, he just figured it would be a phase.

Izuku had grown quickly much to Toshinori's surprise. He had hoped the little boy would stay a baby a little longer, though he couldn't help but feel proud of both his boys. Tenko helped out when it came to looking after Izuku. Ah heck, he took his role of 'big brother' very seriously. He wondered what would have happened should Izuku have been born a girl?

He shuddered to think about it. If Izuku was a girl well, he feared that he would have had his mother's beauty and he and Tenko would have had to beat those boys back with a stick.

Checking his hair again, he couldn't help but tilt his head a little. "Should I redo my hair?" Toshinori mumbled as he crossed his arms across his chest. He wanted to make sure that everything was perfect for Inko. Wanted to make sure that today was the wedding that she deserved, that this day would be a day that she'd always remember. One that would reside within her heart forever, even without the need for pictures.

Though it sounded so very easy, it was rather hard for him to do.

Sighing softly, the young man didn't know what more he could do. He already had the music picked out for them and of course, the first dance song reserved for himself and Inko. He knew that she wouldn't understand it, that is if he hadn't done something about that, plus it was a song that he felt just suited them much like the other song that they danced too on one of their dates before learning about Inko's pregnancy.

"Inko, I hope that I can always make you happy." Toshinori whispered to himself, hoping and praying with all of his heart that he would make a good husband for her. "Husband…" He whispered to himself. God, he was going to be a husband, and Inko would be his wife. "Heh… my wife." Toshinori smiled softly at the thought of that. To think, in less than an hour or so, Inko would be his wife.

"Yo, Toshi! Hurry up, it's time to go and meet Inko at the alter!" Shouted Hizashi, causing the tall blonde to look back and blink in surprise. "Come on!" Hizashi said before he grabbed a hold of the blonde's arm and dragged him back to the alter. "God, I hope you weren't freaking out there the whole time."

"No." Toshinori said with a frown.

"Good, now, as for the boys they're fine. Tenko though is…"

"He's Tenko."

"Yeah."

It was obvious as to what Tenko was doing. He liked to get on Shouta's nerves by asking him a million questions, sometimes he did it twice in the hopes of seeing the man's hair fall out of the ponytail that he pulled his hair back in. He mostly like to push Shouta's buttons, yet when it came to mom and dad, he was an angel.

"And Izuku?" asked Toshinori.

"Sweet as always. He's just sitting on Shouta's lap."

"But wasn't he?"

"Yeah he was, but he must have gotten scared at some of the strangers looking at him again and sat on Shouta's lap. Been there for a little while and felt comfortable. Shouta just didn't have the heart to put him back." Hizashi said with a chuckle.

Toshinori couldn't help but smile back. Izuku was precious, that much was for sure. It just seemed as if he brought in many people to their family and everyone couldn't help but love him. Though, maybe it was because he was a little. Still smaller than a child his age should be, though he figured that was because he was a bit early.

Looking up, he saw the hall that they had rented for their wedding. The hall was decorated in blue and green. The colour of both Toshinori's and Inko's eyes. He saw that they were the colours of their souls as lame as that sounded but, he felt that those words were true.

Flowers, Inko insisted on were sunflowers. Inko had felt like that they resembled Toshinori much to his own chagrin. Though, everyone else that was involve with the planning though agreed on Inko's description of him.

As he made his way to the altar, he saw that it was a white arch with some blue and green roses. To Toshinori, it was rather odd to find green roses but, they did represent their eyes and for that he was happy. It was something that they were happy about and could agree on. Though, Toshinori would have been happy even if they didn't use flowers.

Toshinori couldn't help but gaze up at the flowers, watching as they intertwined themselves around the arches and he couldn't help but smile softly.

"Okay, Inko should be coming down soon. Everyone is seated and we're ready." Hizashi said with a smile.

Toshinori nodded his head before he turned his gaze to the front row. There, was Shouta indeed dressed up. And cleaned shaved for a change of pace. The man though still looked rather exhausted and having an excited Izuku almost seemed to have drained the life out of him that much sooner.

Izuku looked up and waved his hands and giggled. "Papa." He said with a giggle.

Toshinori couldn't help but smile as he waved back at his son. Turning his gaze to Tenko, he saw that the boy was swinging his legs back and forth. Hard to believe that he was seven now, though it still made him happy none the less. The boy was smart, that much was for sure, though Toshinori knew that just sitting around was rather boring for the boy. He hated not doing anything, he had nothing to do but to be lost in his own thoughts for the time being.

Looking up, the little boy smiled a bit and waved to his dad. Toshinori chuckled a little before waving back and smiled gently at both of his sons. How was it that he could be this lucky in the first place? Tilting his head a little, the young man took his place at the altar before he took a deep breath, folding his hands behind his back as he waited for the music to start playing.

Which, didn't take as long as he thought it would.

The moment the music started, Toshinori had felt his back stiffen in shock and worry. He felt like everything was starting to crash on him all at once, though he knew that he wasn't going to run away. He wanted to stay, wanted to be with the woman of his dreams. The woman of his heart and soul, the only one that he would ever want in his life.

Gulping a bit, hoping to calm himself down, Toshinori looked up and felt his breath hitch in shock and awe.

There, Inko stood as she walked down the aisle with a man maybe a little taller than her. He had short brown hair that hung a little over his left eye but he had a kind expression on his face. His eyes, green much like Inko's and he couldn't help but smile. He's only met her parents a couple times and, they had approved of Inko marrying Toshinori when they had heard all he's done for their daughter.

He couldn't help but smile at the thought, though his gaze back on Inko.

She wore a dress that was an electric blue much like his eyes. Though, he noticed that the dress had lace designs that almost resembled sun flowers. The dress was strapless, just hugging onto her curves perfectly. She had a sky blue veil that connected to the bun her hair was pulled up in. A few locks framing her face, though curled a little. From what he could make out, she had pink lipstick on her face that made her seem… softer? No, he didn't think that seemed right, though he just couldn't really describe her other than beautiful.

She was holding a bouquet of sunflowers, and from the sounds that echoed with the music was heels. Inko was most likely wanting to represent him in some way, and he couldn't help but smile at the thought of it. Letting out a soft sigh, Toshinori couldn't help but look at her, thinking that she was even more beautiful than he's ever seen her, and he had thought that that was impossible to be possible.

Her father smiled at Toshinori as he handed Inko's hand to the blonde as he said "Thank you for all you've done for my daughter." Toshinori nodded his head, a soft smile on his face as he had Inko's hand against his arm, just smiling down at her before he kissed the back of her hand.

Inko just smiled at him before blushing under her veil.

"We are gathered here today in the holy matrimony between Yagi Toshinori, and Midoriya Inko." The minister began, causing the couple to look at him as he went on with his speech. Though, really he would prefer to make the whole thing official already and just kiss her breathless.

"Now, the bride and groom have decided to write their own vows. Toshinori, would you go first please?" asked the Minister.

Toshinori nodded before he turned and stared down at Inko. A soft smile on his face as he held both of her hands in his. "Inko." He began, a soft blush on his face as he chuckled. "To be honest, I didn't think I'd ever be in love with anyone. I had thought that, I wasn't capable of loving another. I guess, after losing my parents and then my sister I was afraid to love. Thinking that I would lose them as well." Toshinori had a soft frown on his face as he let out a soft sigh.

"Yet." He whispered gently, almost no one had heard him. "You helped me in so many ways Inko. More so than I could ever thank you enough for. You helped me remember my sister, made me remember when my mind forced me to forget in the hopes of protecting me but really I was only hurting myself without even knowing it!" He said before giving her a gentle smile. "You have done so much for me, saving me from myself and bringing my heart back to life and love once again. I didn't think I could ever be happy, yet here I am. About to marry the one woman who saved me. The only woman, I could ever love, the woman whom holds my heart, my soul and my very life within her hands."

Inko gasped softly, tears appeared at the corner of her eyes only for her to smile at her beloved blonde man.

"Inko, your vows?"

Inko smiled, curling her fingers through Toshinori's fingers as she let out a sigh. "Toshinori, I didn't think I could love. After what I had gone through in the past, I had thought that maybe I wasn't going to have a love like I had hoped I would. Then, you came into my life, saving me one night in a bar while I was hanging out with my best friend." A couple chuckles went through the crowd. "Ever since, you've been my hero, each and every day. Having me open up to my past, accepting me for who I was and my scars that I thought would prevent me from ever being happy."

Toshinori smiled as he reached up and gently wiped away a tear with the pad of his thumb. Inko leaned into his touch as she smiled up at him. "You may not know this Toshi, but each and every single day, you made my life worth living. Made me happy, made me happy to see the next day. You saved my life just by being you and by loving me."

"Of course Inko." Toshinori whispered softly.

"Then, you gave me the most precious of gifts. Our sons, Tenko and Izuku." Inko said with a smile before she turned her gaze to their sons in the front rows.

"Hi mama!" shouted Izuku, gaining a few chuckles.

"You better make mom happy dad!" Tenko called out, earning some laughs.

Inko giggled a little before turning back to Toshinori and smiled up at him once again. "You gave me more than I could ever ask for and I love you for it. I am happy that today, I'll be your bride and your wife."

"Always." Toshinori whispered softly.

God he wanted to hurry up and kiss her!

"You may now kiss the bride."

Oh…

Toshinori smiled before he carefully removed his hands away from Inko's grasp and carefully lifted her veil over her head and smiled at her. Carefully placing his hand on her cheek, Toshinori leaned close to Inko as he pressed his lips against hers. Inko wrapped her arms around his neck as best as she could which was still rather difficult for her with how tall the man was.

Pulling back, Toshinori whispered "I love you, so much."

"I love you too." Inko said with a smile before wrapping her arms around his elbow and started to walk down with Toshinori. Now, they could be called 'husband and wife'.

Soon, it game for their first dance. Toshinori chuckled as he waved at Hizashi who grinned and gave a thumbs up. Though, honestly, he still hated performing for others, but knew that this was the only way that Inko would know that he picked this song for the two of them to dance too. It was another one of his parent's favourites and it was another song that had stuck with him. Heck, it was even a song that Miyoko had thought would be a song that she would dance too when she got married. So, in a way it was a way to honor his sister.

"I hope you like this song Inko. You just may know the singer." Toshinori said with a chuckle. Seeing Inko's confused look only made him grin all the wider. Wrapping his arms around her waist, and Inko having her hands around his shoulders, Inko couldn't help but smile up at Toshinori as the song began to play. Toshinori of course just grinned.

 _I found a love for me  
Darling just dive right in  
And follow my lead  
Well I found a girl beautiful and sweet  
I never knew you were the someone waiting for me  
'Cause we were just kids when we fell in love_

Inko stared at Toshinori with wide eyes as she knew this voice. Of course she'd know this voice better than anyone. It was Toshinori singing! Yet, he hated people hearing him sing. "I only hate performing for others. I performed for myself while it was recorded just for you." He whispered in her ear.

 _Not knowing what it was  
I will not give you up this time  
But darling, just kiss me slow, your heart is all I own  
And in your eyes you're holding mine_

Swaying each other side to side, Toshinori couldn't help but smile at Inko. She was smiling, that was more than he could ever ask for. Everything they had to go through, the very thing that they had to overcome was what held them back. Inko, with Hisashi at her back and trying to take her away from him. And Toshinori, trying to overcome his pain over his sister's loss and of course, finally coming to terms with her death and that she would forever live on in his heart.

 _Baby, I'm dancing in the dark with you between my arms  
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song  
When you said you looked a mess, I whispered underneath my breath  
But you heard it, darling, you look perfect tonight_

Smiling, Toshinori held onto her a little tighter, causing Inko to look up at her husband with a blush on her face. It seemed that he had surprised her with his move. Leaning closer, he sang the last verse into her ear. Earning a little giggle from the bride in his arms before he kissed her cheek and pulling himself back and smiled down at her.

 _Well I found a woman, stronger than anyone I know  
She shares my dreams, I hope that someday I'll share her home  
I found a love, to carry more than just my secrets  
To carry love, to carry children of our own  
We are still kids, but we're so in love  
Fighting against all odds  
I know we'll be alright this time  
Darling, just hold my hand  
Be my girl, I'll be your man  
I see my future in your eyes_

She was strong, she would have to be in order to deal with everything life had thrown at her until they got together. Toshinori knew that Inko was the only one for him, the only one that he could ever love. After all, her love, was the thing that he needed, loving her was as natural as breathing to him. Leaning closer, he pressed his forehead to Inko as he started to whisper the words under his breath.

 _Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms  
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song  
When I saw you in that dress, looking so beautiful  
I don't deserve this, darling, you look perfect tonight_

The room was quiet, yet Toshinori could just seem to feel everyone's gazes on the couple. Hizashi of course had shined a spot light on the couple making him smile a little. Sure, he hated being the center of attention for certain things, but for something like this? He was willing to let it go for the time being, as this was a very special day for the couple.

 _Baby, I'm dancing in the dark, with you between my arms  
Barefoot on the grass, listening to our favorite song  
I have faith in what I see  
Now I know I have met an angel in person  
And she looks perfect  
I don't deserve this  
You look perfect tonight_

Inko looked up at Toshinori as he finished whispering the lyrics in her ear, his breath had been warm against her skin. That much he could tell as he had felt her shiver a couple times as they danced. He wanted to chuckle. Inko of course, just smiled and pressed a hand to her cheek as she smiled up at Toshinori and wrapped her arms around his neck, causing him to yelp out in shock as she pressed her lips against his.

He of course, smiled before wrapping his arms around Inko and lifted her off the ground, twirling her in the air as he kissed her.

Everyone clapped for the happy couple.

After a couple more dances, Toshinori had decided to sit at the table with Shouta, Tenko and Izuku. Right away, both boys wanted to sit on their father's lap and almost started to fight about it. Toshinori of course, started to chuckle before he set Tenko on his left leg and Izuku on his right leg. "Now you two can't fight."

"Okay dad."

"Papa, where's Mama?" asked Izuku.

"Hm, that's a good question. She said she had something that she wanted to surprise us with." Toshinori said as he turned to look at Shouta who merely shrugged his shoulders.

"Don't look at me, I don't know. Though she wanted to talk to Hizashi about something." Shouta mumbled before yawning against the back of his hand.

"Hey all my beautiful listeners!" shouted Hizashi, causing everyone to wince a little only to look over at the man in question. "As you all must be wondering, the groom had recorded himself for his first dance with his beautiful bride."

"Hizashi!" Shouted Toshinori with a blush on his face, causing a few people to chuckle.

"That was you papa?" asked Izuku, not used to his father singing since his father tended to leave all the lullaby singing to Inko.

"Yeah, dad sings pretty well. Though I think I like mom's singing more."

"I'm getting knocked down by my own seven year old son." Toshinori mumbled with a sigh.

"Now, the bride wanted to do a surprise for her wonderful groom as it seems, that he always sings for her so, she may as well return the favor!" Hizashi said with a grin on his face.

Wait what?

Inko stood at the center of the floor with a microphone in hand. Toshinori could see her hand tremble, it was something new for her though he couldn't help but wonder what kind of song it was that she would be singing. It had him rather puzzled, though he had a feeling that if it was Inko singing, that it would be wonderful.

 _Your heart is screaming out to me_

Toshinori couldn't help but blink at Inko as she sang only one line. The music was something that he didn't think that she would sing, but it was just… beautifully well done and the song had only just started. He couldn't help but stare with wide eyes as he stared at his bride.

 _Come and get me  
Come set me free,  
come show me I can be reborn_

Everyone stared at Inko as she sang her song. It seemed that this was a song that she had picked herself. Hizashi was nodding his head to the beat before he gave Inko a thumbs up and a big grin on his face. So he was in on it, and yet he had the gull to not tell him? Then again, maybe it was a surprise, that could be it and Hizashi was great at keeping surprises well... a surprise.

 _Lived all my life believing fantasies  
But its time I faced the truth  
It's so contradictory  
Now, here I stand today  
With all my sanity  
My soul it crushes 'neath the pain  
But I won't restrain!_

A hand over her heart as she seemed almost sad at her past memories. Memories that she had while she was with Hisashi, it was something that Toshinori knew that she could never fully escape from. But, she could always use those memories as a means to help those who have been in her situation. A way to help those who would need her help.

 _Remember all of the times  
That we cried so hard  
Waiting for someone to come rescue our hearts  
And it feels like tomorrow  
Is shining our way!  
And that is why I'm here  
To set you free  
Come along, just believe!  
WAIT FOR ME_

Inko turned her gaze as she eyes fell on Toshinori, who couldn't help but blush as he stared at his wife. She made her way over to him and gently cupped her hand against the side of her face. Toshinori couldn't help but close his eyes as he leaned against her touch and smiled up at her.

 _In this deep despair,  
We found our glory never fell apart  
This is not a blessing, its much more  
IT'S A FEELING!  
I'll come alive to claim my fate  
Find my glory!  
All through the pain…  
That keeps alive this flame  
YOUR NAME!_

Toshinori blinked as he opened his eyes as he saw that Inko was making her way back to the dance floor and just sang her song. A song that must have meant as much to her as it would ever. A life that she had lived where she had almost lost herself to insanity. He wondered, if it was his own name that had helped her through such hard times after he came into her life.

 _All my memories are full of pain  
They hide  
An illusion I can't see  
So many mysteries!  
Will I ever leave alive or face insanity?  
Or will I face a bitter end with no clarity?  
I realize that I no longer have to wait  
Or fight with myself  
I'll no longer escape  
I'll believe in the strength  
Of the bonds we share…  
Surrender my life to the darkened despair_

Toshinori couldn't help but lower his head. It had felt like that if he hadn't been there like he had in the first place, that she may have lost herself to her own depression. To her own inner demons that no one could ever see but herself. Hisashi could have won that day if he hadn't intervened like he had. Soon, he felt a hand on his chin, causing him to look up and stare at her with wide eyes. A soft smile on her face before she kissed his cheek and wrapped her arm around his shoulders as she leaned her head against his own.

 _And the reason I follow  
This dream of mine  
That pulls the strings of my heart  
So tight  
I know for sure  
That I'll be strong enough  
To leave it all behind!  
All of these feelings now  
Will set you free  
Deepening day by day  
Turn into something more!_

Soon, Toshinori had felt Inko move her head and laid it atop of his, pressing his head against her chest as he felt her heart beating quickly within her chest. Oh god, he didn't think he could handle this, if he didn't move his head away from her chest soon, he may end up with a terrible nose bleed! Fuck! He hoped that Inko would move his head soon or else he would pass out from blood loss!

 _I will throw away  
My hesitation, all of my regrets!  
Replacing it with something special  
Lasting forever!  
Your heart is screaming out to me  
I'm comin' for you!  
I'm here to stay  
Not going to betray your side!_

Inko pulled herself back as she looked at Toshinori's shocked and red face as she smiled down at the man in question. She placed a hand over his chest, right over his own rapidly beating heart. Oh, had she only had him listen to her heart so he knew that it was beating as quickly as his own? Though, maybe his was for a different reason, god he thought he was going to have a massive nose bleed here and he didn't want the kids or anyone to see it for that matter.

 _It's a game, bless your name!  
In the end, love remains  
Won't hesitate, restrain…  
NO MORE_

Making her way back to the center of the dance floor, Inko let out a deep breath, twirled around in a circle as she pointed at Toshinori. Causing him to almost jump in his seat as his face went even redder but he had a soft smile on his face as he smiled at his wife.

 _I'll forget myself cuz' I find  
There is something more to me!  
Go beyond the self  
There's more than  
My own reflection!  
I'll come alive to claim my fate  
Find my glory!  
Come set me free  
Come show me I can be  
REBORN_

Closing her eyes, Inko held the mic with both hands as she stood there in place. Though she soon opened her eyes as she spun around on the dance floor as if she had no care in the world. Inko turned her attention to her family as she smiled at them all. Toshinori knew what it was, she was free. For the first time in a long time, she now felt truly free of her binds toward the man who had haunted her life for so long.

 _In this deep despair, we gathered  
Hope to follow our dreams  
This is not a blessing, its much more  
It's a FEELING  
I'll come alive to claim my fate  
There's no stopping!  
I'll bring you back  
Forever in my heart  
YOUR NAME!_

Turning to face her family, Inko couldn't help but smile brightly at them as she gave them a loving gaze. Toshinori knew what that meant. Chuckling, he looked at the boys as he said "Come on, let's go join your mother." Both boys, jumped from their father's lap before they made a mad dash to their mother. Toshinori chuckled as he went up only to stop as he heard Shouta's words.

"You make them all happy Toshinori. Always treasure that."

 _Dear, my dear!_

"I will." Toshinori said before he made his way over to Inko and wrapped his arms around them all. Kissing all of their foreheads and chuckled. Life couldn't get any better for him, he knew then that his life and his family was complete.

After all, he knew one thing he would always remember how lucky he was to have his family in his life. He would make sure that he would always keep his family, no matter if they were gone or currently in his life they would always have a special place in his heart.

 **The End, For Now...**

* * *

 **Now, I'd like to say thank you all for reading this story and happy that you all enjoyed it. As for the songs, they are Perfect by Ed and 'Bless Your Name' by MorniStar on youtube, check her out great singer! anyway, as for the sequel it will be called 'Remember Me, I Am Here For You'. As for why that title, it is because it'll surround Toshinori getting into an accident (won't say how, that will be a secret until that chapter happens) and the cause will be total self-memory loss, I don't know what that will be called but he knows basic math still and locations and the like, it is only his memories of himself, his life, and his family that he won't remember but he'll still feel something there, anyway I don't know when I'll post it, but know that I want to finish a couple NaruHina fics and my hands are screaming at me now because I've typed every single day, one chapter per day and three on days off, anyway, later! see ya next time!**


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